To Sapience: its rulers, magistrates, Ambassadors; its royalty, gentry,
and honest citizenry; its adventurers, denizens, Divine, and any others
who should hear or read these words, I bid you good tidings.

It strikes me as odd but not entirely unsurprising that Hashan is in the
midst of rescinding what is, perhaps, the sole interesting development
in its political ideology: a declaration of honest intent held-- for a
short while-- steadfast in the face of dire consequences. Perhaps even
less shocking than Laytron's hasty retraction is that the Seneschal
appointed to replace him is a student of Darkness, signalling not only
my mind but the minds of many, many others Hashan's return to the ways
of old-- a bastion of the Dark, the self-effacing, and the political.

I have served Good as its Voice for over twenty years, and I recognize
this shift as being a thing small, yet most significant. It is my task
as Archprelate to denounce this deplorable descent into Darkness. This
is a declaration I make quite willingly, for though Darkness lacks the
threatening immediacy of Lord Babel's Cult, it nevertheless poses a dire
threat to all life on Creation.

My hesitation has not been in denouncing Darkness, but rather in how far
my denunciation ought to extend.

In the political dialogue available to the public, we have seen the
effects of the Light-- of honest discourse--upon the finely-crafted lies
that Lord Twilight's minions have carefully propagated and which have
become so much a part of Hashan's cultural identity. We have seen that
alliances with a foundation of lies are unstable, that they may falter
when exposed to the Light of Truth.

Of the Light's power to defeat Darkness, I have no doubt. Yet Darkness
is undefeated. We are told that Lord Twilight has not graced the realms
for many a decade-- and yet, the Darkness persists. The forces of the
Light have stood victorious over the shattered remnants of Hashan's
guards, its City occupied for days at a time-- and yet, the Darkness
persists.

How can this be? How may the forces of Good have total victory snatched
from their hands time and time again?

The answer is simple, though it brings me much pain to admit it: those
who ought to oppose such forces have a vested interest in their
continuance. The Light may never triumph over Darkness so long as one of
its practitioners wears the Mantle of the Caliph.

As the Archprelate of the Holy Church and a Vizier of the City-State of
Shallam, I have been witness to the adversity faced by the leaders of
the organizations of Good and the organizations themselves. It is to the
credit of the City and Church both that these organizations have long
held a tradition of withstanding that adversity. Under Jovaras, however,
that tradition has been allowed to lapse.

The Child-Caliph of Shallam, Jovaras Wyntersol, is an admitted liar,
hypocrite, and politician; once upon a time, he accused me of corruption
and treason by way of colluding with the Qashar long after my time with
them had concluded. The charges, baseless as they are, were soon
rejected; and yet, I find it ironic that many of the Qasharim are now
conscripted to assist in bringing down the Icons of Mhaldor and Ashtan--
the Qashar, that group that only a short time ago was so taboo that any
man not heaping abuse after abuse upon their name was declared corrupt.
Shallam's victories are feats of admirable strength, yet they are not
achieved through any internal ability but through a willingness to wear
as many faces as necessary.

So long, then, as Jovaras remains Caliph, the Light of the City he leads
will remain dimmed, lacking the strength of will to fully oppose the
threats facing Creation. As a blacksmith tempers his steel, so too must
the Light purge itself of such impurities; only then will it be strong
enough to withstand the force of the blows it must rain down upon the
enemies of Creation everywhere.

I pray that those of you who may hear this missive find within
yourselves the strength of will to oppose those forces moving against
you even now; you must soldier on into the darkness where the Light is
too timid to shine.

Your salvation is in your own hands, Sapience. Heed my words and prepare
yourself accordingly.



Mathonwy Corso

Penned by my hand on the 14th of Glacian, in the year 540 AF.