Battleday, the 5th Day of Newgreen and of the Year 127 of this Age of Fortune
Heroes of Elmerton,
It is my pleasure to wish you a prosperous new year and to thank you once again for your help in proving the innocence, honor, and integrity of the Noble House Lav’Endros before the Noble Conclave during the month of Boneharvest last year. Our success means that we have been elevated to the status of Major Noble House and have been awarded roughly one third of House Windlock’s land and assets. While House Windlock was able to maintain jurisdiction over the City of Eddinberg and the massive expanse that is the East Farthings, Lav’Endros has gained jurisdiction of the former Windlock land that borders our land in the South Farthings, as well as an additional larger tract in the eastern Icewind Mountains and western Great Frostwood.
Most of my winter has been spent working to assimilate the acquired Winlock assets and records into our own while giving that house’s subjects the time they need to vacate the areas we have taken stewardship of. As some of you already know, House Lav’Endros had been preparing formal invitations to several of our allies, including you Heroes of Elmerton, to join a number of House officials in mapping out the northern land and giving some assurance to the locals that we will use every tool at our disposal to protect them from the War King, whose troops have been allowed by Windlock to move into the area and establish many military forts and supply routes. However, due to a very recent development, we are going to instead entreat King Adamar to lend us Irvanshirian soldiers for this purpose. Something more pressing requires the skilled and specialized attention of the reader.
Just yesterday, both the Elmerton Manor House and one of the Banta Kinswae encampments were attacked by truly strange, vicious beings, the likes of which I have never seen before. They had the faces of giant spiders but their bodies were humanoid. They carried an energy about them that seemed astral in nature, but strangely so. They were very quick and their attacks were efficient and deadly. My soldiers and wolfkin were largely ineffectual against them. The attack was only a warning, though, and after the spider creatures had made their point and returned from where they came, we discovered a ransom letter had been left behind. The letter stated that assaults such as these would continue unless House Lav’Endros began paying an immense amount of gold as a continuing “protection fee” since we had been responsible for the former “clients” halting their payments. The price was high enough that, even if we intended on paying, we would be unable to.
My wolfkin managed to track the strange creatures back to an area known as Marshall’s Landing: as the crow flies, twenty-two miles southwest of Elmerton. While this was one of the areas ceded to us by House Windlock, it was not something we had considered worth investigating until today.
Based on what I have witnessed, I can say honestly that this is not a thing that House Lav’Endros nor the Banta Kinswae can handle on their own. Therefore I am appealing to you, Heroes of Elmerton, to help us investigate and bring to justice those who would threaten our House, Pack, and Territory. Unfortunately, I know very little of what to expect from this area, save that there were many small structures built there, possibly to house soldiers, though they have been abandoned for many years. Our investigation of Marshall’s Landing should begin as soon as possible.
Calling You Back Into Service,
-Baroness Lobea Lav’Endros