Dearest Citizens of the Jewel of the East,

Your city has declared that it will not become aggressive against the
Vertani, and will house the refugees of Thera in consolation for their
loss. This is insensitive and completely ignoring the biggest threat to
Achaea we�ve encountered since the Black Wave. NEVER has an entire town
been destroyed. Much more, it was destroyed by those who claimed they
were a peaceful nation. Yes, you've cast off your titles of "Friends of
the Vertani" from yourselves. But many are missing the whole picture.

Hundreds are dead, including one Priest who lived his life preaching
love and compassion to the Theran masses. What does this say about the
Vertani? Simply, they will not CARE who is attacking them and who is
not. Shallam, if we have EVER needed to put aside our differences, it is
NOW. We are in danger from an INVADING force. They've already claimed
El'Jazira and Tasur'ke as part of the Vertani Empire. This is only the
beginning of it all. These slavers will not bat an eye to destroy you as
well to get to Jaru or Shastaan.

Shallam, you of all nations should understand the importance of Order
and Law. The Vertani are an attack on all that YOU as a city-state in
this world stand for. They have committed genocide, and only ONE person
has survived the attack on Thera, the poor woodcutter who had to witness
his beloved friends murdered in cold blood. The Vertani wish us
ENSLAVED, they have called us barbarians and as I directly quote, "Those
who will not bend, will be broken". Hingar is distorting his words in
his posts, making it seem like Estan was talking in a fit of rage.
Anyone can attest that this is the general sentiment of ALL the Vertani,
not just an Angry Overlord. Order as we know it will be destroyed, just
like Thera. Seleucar will be a tale told by our descendant to our
children, like a fairy tale of HOPE, as we are going to be bound to the
Vertani if we do not rise now.

Shallam, you may see this coming from the mouth of a barbarian Ashtani,
and an Occultist, no less, but I assure you that I am wholeheartedly
concerned for your safety as well as those of Cyrene, Mhaldor, Hashan,
Eleusis and my very own home. I was not in the realms for this
catastrophe, and I wept openly when I discovered that Thera had been
destroyed. And how has your government responded? By actually sending
condolences to the Evil that is the Vertani! Why? Because Ashtan kills
other denizens, and the Vertani were just acting in kind. Let me ask you
this, in our world, adventurers do kill people, but have they ever
completely wiped out an entire town? Have they ever reduced the people
and the buildings within the border into nothing but ash? No,
adventurers are sane enough to understand that there is a need for
balance. The Vertani do not.

Shallam, do not let your government tell you that this is a time for you
all to sit back and watch the Ashtani and Mhaldorians eat crow. This is
a time to protect your families, your children, your friends, and your
ideals. Without Balance, the Vertani will throw us into slavery. Without
Unity, all is lost. Together, we all can rise against this war machine
and dismantle it! All need to cast aside all conflicts now, and seek the
bigger picture: The future of our land has forever changed. No child
will ever know of Thera after a few generations. And we have the Vertani
to thank for that. Choose for yourself whether or not the Vertani need
to be stopped. Do not let others tell you to sit on your hands. Pick up
your swords, maces, dirks, staves, and fists. Scream for the Cause of
Light and Order. To the Harmony of OUR world, not the Vertan Empire,
Order�s anathema.

Remember the Black Wave, Shallam. Remember the Unity of Seleucar.
Remember that once, we did fight together, and we did push back the
Tsol'teth. Today, we can do it again! Stand against the Vertani with us.

Nolar D'Ischai-Rybnik

Penned by my hand on the 15th of Glacian, in the year 385 AF.