Dear Alain
I don't know if this letter will reach you since I don't know where to send it. But I will take it to one of the priories in the hopes that they will be able to deliver it to you.
I hope your wound is healing well. Try not to do anything too strenuous or it will break open again and you'll have to spend another few weeks in bed listening to Black Sue say I told you so. I know you think Black Sue is overly fussy about these things but she does know a great deal about physic and herbs. She tells me to write that you must take your medicine and that if you die she will never let you hear the end of it.
Black Sue and I are going to sell the rest of our herbs tomorrow if there are still Church Knights to sell them to. All us herb sellers were very surprised when the Church Knights bought everything we had. They bought our wagon too. This afternoon Ryde and I looked at another wagon. It's small and needs work on the metal parts but Ryde says he can do that for us. Sue is going to make him some shirts in return. Ryde has a beautiful new shirt of mail that he wants to cover up.
The lamplighters are charging more money for the oil now. Watley the innkeeper is very upset about it. Black Sue says it's all the fault of that woman. She doesn't say woman but I don't think I should write what she says in a letter.
I bought some candy for the innkeeper's little boy Lyle. He has the strangest notions about dwarfs. He thinks they are made of stone and he wanted to ask Ryde what kind he was. I told him it would not be a good idea.
Come back as soon as you can. The city is very empty now that all the men are away. The watch is trying its best but there are so few of them left.
Black Sue says remember about the medicine or else.
MARIAM
Dear Mariam,
It is always a pleasure to receive mail when one is on campaign: for that reason, our superiors in the Church always make every effort to deliver our mail as soon as possible.
You may assure Black Sue that her work was not in vain: the wounds she treated are healing quite well, and virtually none of the my new scars intersect any of the ones she treated, so her handiwork is still intact. I am grateful to her for her aid: without it, I might not have been able to do my duty. You may assure her that I am taking all my medicines, even that awful black powdered one. Well, usually. I felt somewhat queasy last night when they were sewing my shoulder up, and decided to skip it then - but I choked down a double dose this morning to make up for it.
I do not know if news has reached the city yet, but we fought a nice little battle yesterday. Lord Percy's troops were very good, but the army has never been fielded that can stand against those who walk in the Light - not forever - and so it proved yesterday. It might have been a different matter if they hadn't been overeager and tried to overrun our field fortifications. It was extremely unpleasant work - although my commander, Sir Thomas, seemed delighted that I had managed to overthrow Sir Stephen Engleheart's banner and take him alive; he gave me a magnificent sword. I think Sir Thomas' father was slain by Sir Stephen's father, but I didn't want to ask. Tell Ryde that I was worried for a moment that Lord Paul would take it amiss, since I did maim his cousin, but the Englehearts are a large clan, and of course Lord Paul puts the Church above his family ties, though it is sometimes difficult.
I have been in battles before, of course, against the Northerners, but this was the first time I'd ever had to face our own style of combat magic. Most impressive. Fortunately our own sorcerers kept most of it off of us.
Anyway, Lord Percy's son got away, and we sent a party off in pursuit, but those of us who were wounded obviously had no business joining in. I can still ride, now that they've taken the arrow out of my leg, so they're sending me back to the city with the other lightly wounded. I may be a day or so behind this message, since I must ride slowly, but I hope to see you soon.
I have news for you about that woman, too, but I probably shouldn't put it in a letter. See you soon!
Sir Alain de Grocie
Olfe, Sheriff's Reeve
Good sir, greetings
I pen this letter to give you warning. During our recent travels from the North we have been told by others encountered on the road that there are parties who are planning an attack on the town. Their story while unsupported by any other means or evidence, was quite sincere. It may be well that you take further precautions for the near future as I believe their warnings to be truthful. The attackers are purported to be an unusually large band of gnolls who have obtained some sort of magic assistance for the attack. I'm uncertain of the direction of attackers, but these we met were fleeing northward, and they said the attackers yet needed to cross three rivers.
Yours Respectfully
Moreau Perault
Late of the Bibliotecha,
Noumenon, Did. [Dismissed in disgrace]