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| Details |
| Author: | Athena |
| Summary: | From the start of the work in the summer for Blue Squad, Colson and Cressidha Aspenwood keep up a faithful correspondence on the subjects of Blue Squad's doing, Cressidha's social life, and how many ways her brother can be unsubtle. 6600~ words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
Arc: Season 14
July 8th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
No doubt the arrival of this letter, so much earlier than should be expected if I was in the middle of the ocean en route to Tol Barad, comes as a surprise; the cause of this arrival is not new technology of ocean letter receipt and sending, but that I am not deployed to Tol Barad after all. There was an emergency redeployment of Blue Squad to Mt. Hyjal, as there was great fear that Deathwing would summon Ragnaros to this plane once more, and unhappily I must report that we arrived too late to halt the summoning itself. Mt. Hyjal now burns, as Twilight's Hammer begins their campaign against this sacred mountain. They have the element of surprise along with the element of fire, and we have only just begun to understand their tactics.
The Emerald Flight's dragon aspect Ysera is here, commanding the defense of the mountain, along with Arch Druid Malfurion Stormrage, and for now there is great hope that we will overcome this attack with the strength of their leadership.
Of our own people, Blue Squad is led by Dane, of course, and has at present myself, Azizia, Velrin, and Caspis. I am in the position of a frontline fighter and backup healer, for which I continue to strive to be useful in both, to the best of my ability. It is an unfortunate reality that beyond my physical capabilities, what I have to offer is experience in the two matters we find ourselves in, of this particular cult and this place. I am not the man or the paladin I was before when I faced these two circumstances, and I must trust in my growth that I will achieve better outcomes.
We learned of a new technique today, that of the faerie dragons possessing an ability to see that which is not easily seen. Twilight's Cultists scouts cloaked in invisibility beyond our own senses were rooted out by these creatures, who we charmed with juniper berries, a type of berry that grows readily here. The exchange rate of berry to Twilight's Hammer cultist was 1:1, which was a remarkably fair trade.
The greater fires, we learned, were being controlled by Baron Geddon, one of Ragnaros' generals. As it happens, this is not the first time he has been banished, and there was already a staff that could weaken him significantly. It had been shattered, but with the power of druidic magic to regrow even dead wood, we were able to reassemble it, and use it against the elemental. He has been banished once more, successfully. We did not get any juniper berries for our part in assisting in weakening him.
We shall be on active call during this deployment, given the volatile nature of these rapidly changing circumstances. Mordecai and I plan to stay in Stormwind, at Lady Lucille's former place of residence. I will write again soon. I trust that you are well, and have decided upon a place to stay for the time being.
Love,
Colson
July 9th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
I do not know whether to feel relief that you are not fighting the Horde after all or sympathy for where you ended up instead. I suppose a mixture of both is appropriate. While it is worrying that you have no mage with you, Caspis can remove curses, and Azizia has her shamanic connection to elemental spirits. Who will be given all the dangerous artifacts to put in boxes, when you do not have a mage? Who will be asked to perform magical tasks completely out of their personal field of expertise because surely all mages are the same?
I have rented out Suite 4 in A Hero's Welcome, and I will be staying here for the forseeable future. I believe our parents have considered the construction of another townhouse in Stormwind, but given that the piece of land we own is now at the bottom of a chasm and has therefore plummeted in value, I doubt this will be a swift process.
Living in Dalaran puts me at an ideal location to make progress in my crafts. I have been working with Ainderu Summerleaf, the tailor who you and Mordecai stayed with, to learn more traditional kaldorei mooncloth patterns and dyes. I think, given time, that I may make a mooncloth robe for Mordecai.
Prices in Dalaran are, I'm afraid, atrocious, particularly when trying to buy enchanted items to turn to dust. No one wants to think about their hard work being turned into a fragment of magical possibility, and there are many stores here selling polished pieces who might be insulted by me asking to buy their cast-offs to disintegrate.
Thinking of you. Please let me know if there is anything I might provide.
Love,
Cressidha
July 11th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
My most sincere apologies for the unintentional confusion surrounding my address. It is true and accurate; we did not decide to stay at Lady Lucille's former house, and have instead taken up residence once more in Telaar, Nagrand. Most happily, we were in luck to procure the same apartment as before, and Mordecai has settled comfortably into place. The commute from Outland to Mt. Hyjal is, I must confess, somewhat disorienting, but this is a small price to pay for the sense of safety that is in uncommon supply in all too many places. Or it will be, when my squad duties resume.
Outland as a whole has seen mostly quiet days, except for the present, where a threat of demonic interference has been discovered, and A'dal has requested our assistance. I will be away here for some unknown time, and have alerted Captain Sparkwire accordingly.
Mordecai has been working in the infirmary in Shattrath, now far more quiet than it was before. As in due course, I have had time to spend at the market, and have located at least a few items that not only are no longer wanted by the individual selling them, but I feel given their overall shape and substance, will be a relief to them to know that they have been destroyed.
I will look forward to the construction of a mooncloth robe for Mordecai, as I am sure you have no doubt that I would.
With our current trajectory of following A'dal's directive, it seems we are headed into Zangarmarsh, which puts me in mind that we have lost most of our old rain gear that we once had in abundance. Mordecai in particular was fond of cloaks and hats, and I have a soldier's mind still of thinking that we could do with more socks. There are entire marching songs that decry the great treasure of a pair of clean, dry socks.
I will write again as soon as I can, when we know more of what we are able to accomplish as servants of the Light.
Love,
Colson
July 13th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
Thank you for the items that now exist only in dust form. The world is better for their destruction, and I shall not reference them further. Some unfortunate styles are best off purged from one's memory. What was I speaking of?
I have enclosed a great many socks with this letter, although you may not receive it until the conclusion of your task, given that you did not have a timeline to anticipate. The rest of the items shall be following shortly.
Love,
Cressidha
July 14th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
I hope all is well, and that Mordecai is pleased by the selection of hats and cloaks. I have included more socks, just in case.
Love,
Cressidha
July 22th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
Forgive the delay in my writing. We have much appreciated the socks and the new rain resistant gear, and I am most glad to have mentioned it. We have been traveling almost non-stop for the past several weeks, through a great deal of Outland, much of which did not oblige by having a nearby post, nor did our task give us much time to pause to write.
A'dal bid us to locate and assist one of his agents against the Burning Legion, which turned out to be none other than our acquaintance Miss Aszera Sunstrike, who had been turning her unique abilities to the Light's justice and defense. We joined forces to work together and were able to far more effectively track those of the Burning Legion that sought to re-establish their portals and gateways from the Twisting Nether to Outland, their forces bolstered by the remnants of the Fel Horde. Our quarries kept us as much on our mounts as our feet, as they had the advantage of other methods of travel, and the politics of factions interfered with our ease of travel with us as humans and Miss Aszera as a sin'dorei of outwardly vague allegiances.
As if this situation had not been another easily identified clarity of what a true ceasefire could allows us to accomplish, when we realized our great need for an ability to secure a portal to where the quel'dorei of Quel'Danas once did, it was to a Magistrix Coriene Bloodsong of the sin'dorei that we turned to for aide, as she had the necessary expertise and connections to speak to for this portal, which she gave very willingly. She continued to lend us her assistance as we went from Shattrath to the Hellfire Peninsula of Kil'Jaden's Throne to Shattrath to Terokkar Forest to Shadowmoon Valley to Shattrath, and through four pairs of socks each.
We saw to the final task of eliminating a pit lord that had been summoned once more to this plane, Azaloth. It was a difficult battle, but we were successful. I have retained all of my hair, despite clear attempts from the Burning Legion to reduce it once more.
Next week, I will be redeployed to Mt. Hyjal, having succeeded at the task of the Light bestowed upon us. The newsletters I have caught up on do not reassure me that this restoration of control over the mountain will be as swift as we would wish.
Please find enclosed the small selection that I have gathered through our time here on this mission. As you are also undoubtedly aware as keenly as I am, generally speaking demons do not wear clothes, and those that do tend to evaporate into the ether with them, thus making taking the notable scraps impossible. These are not, as I am sure you will be happy to know, any socks of your make; these belonged to the Fel Elves, who had enchanted everything, even if they are worn down to threadbare states.
Love,
Colson
July 23rd, Year 28
Dear Colson,
I am relieved to hear that everything went well with your mission. I was unaware that Aszera was back in Outland; I had thought her to be working with the Argent Crusade in Northrend. I suppose it is impossible to keep up with everyone, and I have not been trying. I hope she is well.
You do know that you could have requested I provide the portal, and I would have been glad to assist the three of you, right? Perhaps I shall visit Nagrand before Sunday.
Thank you, again, for the supplies.
Love,
Cressidha
July 29th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I am hopeful that this letter reaches you in good health. Have you been to the Vineyard House again recently? Bertrand mentioned you made a trip there a week or so ago, at the request of Duchess Esprit, for a social engagement. It is a good way to keep up some socializing among friends when they are living so close, as some apparently are, including Miss Westwind and Miss Coit. If you do speak with them again, I would be glad if you gave them my regards as well.
As you will no doubt read in the Company Newsletter, we have discovered the method by which Twilight's Hammer has been able to so rapidly take up military significant positions is that they are using portals to the elemental planes to then build portals on the other sides, allowing them to avoid tracking supplies through the mountain where we could disrupt them fully. We were able to locate the source of this ability, and it was Dane who carried the mysterious stone carved tablet that was misrepresented as a "tome" to our knowledge, but as it was the only thing resembling it, we brought it with us. The Alliance serviceman in charge was able to read some of the elemental script. The handling of this tome with runes etched on the ground capable of temporarily opening up brief portals into the plane of water directly was given to Velrin.
We then sealed the gate to the plane of fire that Twilight's Hammer had been using by the Shrine of Goldrinn, now fully secured. Ysera bade us to the Shrine of Aviana, which had been the latest target of the cult's attempts at replacing the Wild Gods with false ones. Aviana is the patron goddess of the Druid of the Talons, Caspis' own order, and she was slain during the War of the Ancients. However, like what we were told in Northrend about how the Wild Gods that were eliminated by their once-followers for power, there is a chance that they might reform on this plane of existence, and it seems Aviana is attempting to do so. If we are successful in our endeavor, she will be. At the moment, we have only the knowledge that there is an egg somewhere that contains her essence, but not the location.
Please find enclosed something that is new, to my knowledge, a type of cloth being worn by some of the cultists here: embersilk cloth. It is especially resistant to fire, I gather, but the embersilk cloth is also easily ruined. I have enclosed an example of it. These other offerings are not offensive enough to destroy on that merit, as they were offered up as rewards for our efforts, but I have no use for them, and they are heavily enchanted enough that I hope you will find them useful for more complex work. If you do create something new from them, I am certain that they will be good to see in person, and of course, while some might not be of use to Mordecai and myself directly, others of our acquaintance will surely appreciate.
Love,
Colson
July 30th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
Yes, brother, I've been back a couple of times upon request, I haven't entirely secluded myself.
I don't suppose you were able to try any of the water from those portals, were you? I would love to hear how it compares to my water, which originates from the same source.
If a Wild God slain during the War of the Ancients is only reforming now, that does not sound promising for the ones that were slain in Northrend. I suppose they shall return one day, but perhaps only the draenei will be alive to see it. Caspis must be very eager to find this egg. I wish you all every success.
This cloth is fascinating, and I will try not to ruin too many samples in my experiments. Thank you, as ever, for supplying me.
My tailoring and enchanting catalogues are up to date, but it is rare that Cobalt Company takes advantage of either. I have been making more children's clothes than any other sort. Dane Ference and Karson Atley have both been growing remarkably.
Love,
Cressidha
August 3rd, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
Dane has spoken several times of how Mrs. Atley has been doing well, and it is good to know that their son is growing well. Perhaps Mrs. Atley would also appreciate some new garments, and to see how far your catalogs have come with your recent advances and travels?
The amount of water I was able to sample from the portals did not seem to be intended for consumption, as it was sea water from the taste of it. I would have recognized your water had it been so, even if the delivery system was not what I am accustomed to, as you do not pressurize your water to geyser forces, at least not yet, depending on whether or not you find yourself in need of some endeavor in that vein, which could be then utilized as a refreshing experience and double as a high pressure hose for sudden fires.
Caspis was able to experience the emotional satisfaction of seeing his goddess reborn yesterday, as we were successful in at last locating the egg of Aviana, and within the safety of her shrine, prayed for her to return. The ones who had stolen her for an attempted corruption were those affiliated with the Twilight Dragonflight, the very same one that we encountered at the Obsidian Sanctum this past year. The connection between a cult known as Twilight's Hammer for their prophecy and a dragonflight with the same name working in tandem seem unlikely to be unrelated. What we are seeing only now coming to fruition may have been long in planning.
We located a strange book of the Twilight's Hammer, and accordingly, it was I who held onto it, as I am aware, more than most, of how dangerous such an item can be, and carry the appropriate NOPE bag for it. One of the Druids of the Talon, Thisalee, an acquaintance of Caspis', handled it; apparently, even reading the runes caused her eyes some amount of pain, which is consistent with what I know of their material, and the care of it remains in her possession.
You will also be pleased to know that we have recovered a part of Stratholme. Dane and I made a particular journey to assist, as we have some notable familiarity with the city, both in present and past, and the dreadlord Balnazzar is one that I believe I have personal reason to see eliminated from this plane of existence as many times as he appears, for so long as I am able to fight against him. For now, the Silver Hand will take control of what was once the Scarlet Crusade's bastion, and establish a foothold. Those with expertise of the city will be of much use and help in coming months, I am certain.
If you do find that embersilk can be made for some new clothing, I would be glad to model whatever you conceptualize, if you would like to visit again in Nagrand. It is still rather quiet out here, and in Outland in general. There seems to be at least one place that will be keeping its apocalyptic events to at least only one a season.
Love,
Colson
August 4th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
The container within which the water is summoned is a part of the spell; if I were to start summoning water in glasses, rather than bottles, it would require alteration. Pressurizing the water is more likely to be dangerous than refreshing, I'm afraid.
It is wonderful to hear about the successful rebirth of Aviana, and I am not at all surprised at the connection between two things with 'Twilight' in their name.
I hadn't realized Balnazzar had manifested once more. I should visit the Dalaran office more often, I suppose, to check the boards.
You are as subtle as always. I will visit soon.
Love,
Cressidha
August 12th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I regret to inform you that Mt. Hyjal still burns, the severity of which is now being called "an Inferno," and to no exaggeration. I find myself thinking that a pressurized water bottle that could double as a specialized water bomb against an elemental and emergency fire extinguisher would be genuinely welcomed.
It seems that part of the difficulty of uprooting Twilight's Hammer here in Mt. Hyjal is that this is not where they hold a base of significance. One of those bastions of power remains Blackrock Mountain, despite the progression of the dwarves under Her Majesty Moira Bronzebeard, and the united dwarven leaders. We traveled there through means of a "mole machine" which was obviously intended to be able to comfortably convey up to ten people; unfortunately for Blue Squad, those ten people it was built for were gnomes. I do note believe Caspis opened his eyes or took a full deep breath for the entirety of the journey. I am personally now aware of the precise amount of pepper Mrs. Atley puts in her jerky.
We were successful in undermining the leadership of Twilight's Hammer within the mountain, but it has not yet proven the key to halting their campaign against Mt. Hyjal. Furthermore, it led to the discovery that they are conducting experiments with the Void in manners that put me most assuredly in mind of the Scourge. They had taken a bodyguard of our mole machine gnome scientist, an orc of honor, and transformed him into some creature during the time it took for us to locate him. Despite his monstrous appearance, he maintained awareness of his true objective, and continued to aid us against the cultists that so altered him. I thought him dead at one time after a particularly strong blow, but it would seem resilience still lingered enough for him to recover, though his whereabouts are unknown to us.
The Twilight Dragonflight and Twilight's Hammer are not only connected by name, but the former was created by the latter, and done so by doing this same sort of corruption on the essence of Netherwing dragons. I have alerted those here in Outland, only to discover that they were already aware of the loss, only not of the outcome. I fear it has been distressing news, and it may be that some additional security will be asked for to further guard the flight.
You may trust that whatever might alter in the world, and whatever time passes in either linear or Bronze Dragonflight order, some things will remain steady, and one of those is that I remain as always, your unsubtle brother, wishing you happiness and well being. On that note, I have secured an amount of what is called Volatile Water, found here on the mountain in some places, as you will find within the tin jar thus enclosed. If you were to consider harnessing the power of a geyser through tailoring or enchantment rather than summoning, this may very well aid you in that endeavor.
Love,
Colson
August 13th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
You traveled all the way from Mt. Hyjal to Blackrock Mountain underground in a mole machine? Light, I hope there was magic involved and you didn't simply tunnel all the way through the earth.
I'm afraid I may not be the best choice for a geyser, but perhaps Jocoza could come up with something. I do think I may be able to do something with this volatile water, but precisely what remains to be seen.
Love,
Cressidha
August 26th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I cannot attest to the magical or non-magical properties of the mole machine, as between the circumstances of occupancy and the lack of windows, I could not speak to either the mechanics or the length of time that it took (only our return on the same day suggests it was not, despite all senses saying otherwise to my fellow travelers, an eternity).
Mt. Hyjal's Inferno has at last been forced to cease, and that is the good news I can bring of our work. The other news is that we did so by temporarily allying with a captured satyr of the Third War, who I must allow did all that was asked of him to halt this catastrophe, but it was obvious as he broke his chains with the purpose of returning to the allegiance of his masters within the Burning Legion that we did not manage to convince him to strive towards a true redemption.
The damage done to the mountain is extensive, and will take possibly a decade to see it repaired, but the Guardians of Mt. Hyjal can now at last begin to focus on such efforts instead of trying to hold a line against an unceasing enemy. The elementals have been banished, and we were able to once again remove one of Ragnaros' generals from this plane. Azizia was able to utilize a totem carved with his true name, Vol'talo Thol'embaar, to weaken the great elemental to such a state that the five of us proved more than enough to succeed. This banishment halted the inferno, and we await further instruction on how else we may unite more ancient Wild Gods to the cause of ousting Twilight's Hammer from the mountain.
I have enclosed some of that Volatile Fire gleaned from the elementals today, which you may find of interest in your studies of how to incorporate such things.
Love,
Colson
August 27th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
It sounds like you five have made significant progress in Mt. Hyjal, which is very good to hear. I would like to see it one day.
Have you come into any conflict with the Horde during your work? Do they have a presence there, or is it simply their own volunteers and the members of Horde races that are also part of the Cenarion Circle?
Thank you for the Volatile Fire, this is very useful. I believe I can use it for spellthread. Send me more of this if you want more pairs of lucky pants.
Love,
Cressidha
September 2nd, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
It is with the greatest privilege that I am able to tell you that there has been a miracle of life granted to Mt. Hyjal. It came, as these things sometimes do, at great cost and sacrifice, where an ancient of lore, Nordu, who was then lost to the fires of Twilight's Hammer, was able to gather up the entirety of his heart and place it into our keeping to bestow upon the mountain the blessing of life, of the years that it would have taken to restore its health from where the fires have ravaged it.
Unfortunately, it has not yet ended the presence of Twilight's Hammer here, and the threat of their fires remains, but for now we have pushed them back to a single front, and it is anticipated that this will remain true, as the ancient Wild Gods have united for this purpose. There is still one of the False Gods to destroy, but for now, all the ones of the shrines here have been awakened and stand in guardianship more powerful than we could hope to be on our own.
I have heard that the Horde has been working to fight the elementals — I can say that the Earthen Ring is a neutral presence here — and there have been times when members of the Horde have sent their own people to fight alongside the Guardians of Mt. Hyjal. In this, we remain united, but I must inform you that tensions still remain high. Still, this place is where peace between the Horde and the Alliance was first achieved, and it is not only I that senses this sacred tie lingering in this holy place.
It seems likely that if we are to rid this mountain of Twilight's Hammer, we will be in need of lucky pants. I will be certain to send along what volatile fire that I come across, but I am certain I could not be as effective against fire elementals as a frost mage.
Love,
Colson
September 3rd, Year 28
Dear Colson,
That's remarkable, what you all have done. I wish I could have been there to see it. I have been traveling to Darnassus to utilize their moonwell for my mooncloth, and have accumulated a fair amount so far. There is a tree where sentient worgen live, the refugees from Gilneas. I have not introduced myself to any of them thus far.
I miss the work terribly, and I miss you. Mordecai says I'm putting restrictions on myself deliberately and unnecessarily, and I don't deserve to pay this penance for what I did - or didn't do - with Cobalt. Your husband is incredibly wise, and good at his job, but it's difficult for me to shake the feeling that I need to make the most of this time off somehow.
Love,
Cressidha
September 9th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I shall be very glad to see what has come of the mooncloth, and the spellthread from what was once dangerously destructive fire made beautiful after having passed through your hands.
It is not only residing in Outland that puts me in mind of the place, years ago now, when the portals opened up and the way was free to travel, but you spoke of not yet visiting once more with those such as Sir Ference, having not felt that you had achieved a deed sufficient to justify the great absence and have something to show for that time apart. And it is not only being once more aiding the kaldorei that I find myself in mind of when, after discharge from my commission in the army, I found myself needing to aid these people to be certain of my own path forward, to the detriment of neglecting the very thing that would have given me my clearest compass, that of my sister, who has always been the heart of myself.
I know I run the risk of repeating words already spoken, but hear them from my own hand as well.
Mordecai is — though I run the risk here of waxing poetic about my own husband — as wise and illuminating as the Light for which a person might reach for, and in understanding his way of allowing yourself to grab hold of his hand and let him show you a way forward is a path always towards healing. It is never easy to let go of a sense of achievement to become good enough to return to something or someone, especially when you know in your heart that this same desire is what often gives you the power to do extraordinary things with a tenacious willpower to do something when despair reigns and hope is difficult, but when we cling to our perception of ourselves of being useful to being good can create such narrow passageways along our path as to make it into an eye of a needle.
Blue Squad has cleared the last of the false gods from Mt. Hyjal, and Twilight's Hammer has been pushed into a corner of their final stronghold of the mountain. This is not to say the work is done, but Light willing, we will soon see them defeated enough that the Company might take a break from the work. In that space, with the mountain once more guarded and at peace, I shall be very glad to show you Mt. Hyjal as it will be. Healing comes in many forms, and when the wound is deep, it can be difficult to not rush the process as soon as the surface has scabbed over, but we must recall to ourselves that some things take as long as they take to heal, and that "the wound is where the Light gets in."
Love,
Colson
September 10th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
You are as clear a compass to me as I am to you. I need to break out of this holding pattern. You're right.
I'll update you in the near future.
Love,
Cressidha
September 15th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
I have just returned from Stratholme, where I fought with Dane and some Cobalt newcomers to eliminate the Baron's son and enable the Argent Crusade to open portals directly into Stratholme itself.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that Fionette was also there, and I did reach out to her, but she seemed reluctant to engage in much conversation past our initial re-introduction. She said the two of you had already spoken.
Also present were Lady Dara Tennerow, who has taken up the path of the priestess, Lady Sophette Valonforth, a paladin, and Mr. Shine, who you may not be acquainted with. I believe he used to work for the Fallons, but seems to have joined Cobalt Company?
Dane bade me visit Ivri again, and I agreed. I shall go soon.
That is six entire people I have interacted with, and a seventh soon to come, eight if you count Karson.
How's that for progress?
Love,
Cressidha
September 16th, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I can indeed confirm that by those metrics, you have spent time with eight people recently, which is most certainly progress, as is the accomplishment of having ventured into the field once more to purpose and satisfaction in your accomplishment therein. I had the honor of working alongside Lady Dara, Lady Sophiette, Mr. Shine, and Fionette on the last call for aid to Stratholme, and I am glad to know that they have continued the work.
As I am sure Mordecai has spoken to you about as with the way physical rehabilitation works after a wound, so too does the mind follow in these recommendations, to take steps towards rebuilding a stable foundation for the strength to bear the full weight of one's preferred load. It is not only within, on a personal level, that we construct these pillars. Friendship can be especially fortifying, and not only in the field as with a coworker, but in companionship that is as easy on the field as off it. Even traveling, with or without firm purpose, is always made richer with someone who can share in it, whose presence enhances the experience. Mordecai and I began as friends, and I cannot recommend such a foundation higher for the sustaining power such a relationship of fellowship can bring in the darkest of hours as well as the brightest ones.
There is something that I must confess to you of Blue Squad's latest mission, and I am well aware that I stand on the brink of hypocrisy with it, yet I must plead that it is by orders of the dragon aspect Ysera, in whom we have placed our trust in knowing well our limitations and our cause. Twilight's Hammer has captured a kaldorei general of great renown and ability, Jarod Shadowsong, and hold him so deep within their ranks that to free him directly would take an army, and the cost of many lives, even assuming they did not slay him as soon as they realized our purpose. So it is that Blue Squad has been advised to enter in the ranks of Twilight's Hammer as recruits, to submit to their initiation training, and therefore access their inner sanctum for this cause.
To forestall your trepidation, one you may possess in part because of my own extreme cautioning in the past, I can only say that thus far they have not attempted to indoctrinate any of us; we have entered at the stage where such devotion is taken as a matter of due course. I have as my shield my true faith in the Light, and Mordecai's wisdom and guidance to note any changes in me. I watch over Blue Squad with all the abundance of caution I have ever exercised with this cult, and I will continue to do so.
You may also rest at ease that we continue to wear our regular clothing and armor, and have not succumbed to the fashion choices of Twilight's Hammer, nor have any of us exhibited signs of feeling a desire to do so. Azizia's opinion of their choices remains as scathing as you would expect her to be, and she would likely find reasons why her dress happened to be ruined in the field through completely plausible means should they take it upon themselves to assign us any such clothing (which they do not seem inclined to do; I don't think they have the materials or workers to produce such at this point).
I will not let myself be lost to this cult, and I will do all I can to see that none of Cobalt falls, either.
Love,
Colson
September 17th, Year 28
Dear Colson,
Purple is a lovely color. Truth be told, it was so absurdly simple to 'infiltrate' them the time Sandy and I impersonated cult members that it felt like you were being overprotective about nothing. I know now that is not the case, and Mordecai has convinced me not to make light of the situation; I apologize for doing so in the past. I have enclosed some purple socks in case you feel like 'fitting in' ironically in a way no one can see.
Ivri is expecting a second child, in case you were not already informed, and young Karson is a growing boy in all dimensions. Sil has requested a visit as well, so as you can see my social life is no longer in need of an intervention.
Love,
Cressidha
September 23rd, Year 28
Dear Cressidha,
I will say that I wore the socks mostly for the fact that color is indeed lovely, and that the cult should not have a monopoly on it simply because they are committed to the greatest evil and abhorrent desire for the end of all Creation; at best, they should have some unseemly shade of ochre, or whatever particular shade of green that the Pants We Shall Not Speak Of were before they were rendered appropriately to dust.
We ended our farce today with a successful mission, not only on collecting poorly concealed intelligence that revealed an exploitable weakness of inner fractures between ogres and non-ogres, but also on using their desire to proselytize for a "graduation" to create a riot sufficient for us to free Jarod Shadowsong. From this, we hope we shall soon see the end of Twilight's Hammer's presence in the region.
I hope you will give my regards to Mrs. Atley when you next see her, and my personal congratulations.
I have had a visit from Sil myself recently. I realize I am being particularly unsubtle when I say that he is a good man, of a bright and thoughtful temperament, whose sense of justice runs strong without becoming overbearing, and whose light heart has shone through the darkest of times. I am honored to count him among my friends, and would be still more honored to count him among my family, should such a thing ever present itself as a possibility. I believe him to be of the sort to not take any rejection of romance in a way that would prohibit him from maintaining a strong friendship, and I believe that no matter what, he will continue to be one to both of us. You know already what I am likely to suggest, which is that you follow your heart, and do what pleases you most, for this is what I have long hoped I have been able to give you, though I have benefitted more than anyone from the choices made two years ago. Be happy, Cressidha.
On that note, please find enclosed several enchanted items, and what salvageable cloth I could find, that should — I hope — allow a sufficiently satisfactory outlet for not being able to sigh at one's brother for all his meddling.
Love,
Colson
September 23rd, Year 28
Dear Colson,
You might have thought to warn me about Silvestre's intentions more specifically a little earlier. I fear I worried him when I left the room to consider the matter, after he proposed himself as a potential romantic partner. I did not flee the room, I asked him if he would wait a minute, but I am afraid I may have taken too long.
Regardless, the two of us now have a date scheduled for next Friday. We are going to see the Darkmoon Faire, as I have never been.
I am still sighing at you for your meddling. Remotely.
Love,
Cressidha