To the Scion and the Seraph,

Though the candle of the East may flicker, my friends, it took long
enough to find someone willing to light the wick. This is the most I
have heard out of Shallam in decades, and for that, I must commend both
of you -- it takes considerable gumption to defend your ideology while
even your all-powerful Caliph quivers beneath his desk. You would,
however, do well to bear in mind that no naked flame can endure within a
maelstrom, and that when stormclouds loom upon the horizon, even your
precious Sun sees fit to hide its face.

Ashtan is, indeed, led by masters of propaganda. It is led, as well, by
masters of combat, masters of strategy, masters of economics, masters of
history, and masters of the arts. The citizens of the Bastion are a
well-rounded bunch, particularly the Occultists and Nihilists for whom
you bear such marked disdain. Bereft of puerile notions of morality and
compassion, we have managed to achieve dominance of the sort you and
yours could only dream, and our every victory stands as a testament to
that which is Inevitable. The seeds of this city were, after all, sown
by a brother in Discord, and they have since been watered by Entropy in
battle and tribulation. Who was it that saved our fledgling settlement
from famine? The servants of Chaos! Who stood between the Bastion and
annihilation at the hands of Gattan'lier? The servants of Chaos! Who
picked up the shattered remnants of this city when our fair Queen was
slaughtered by her subjects, to bring forth a proud, democratic people
who
have flourished throughout the modern era? It was the servants of Chaos!
There is no question as to the force behind Ashtan's success, and while
sevidical accusations of tyranny may forever drip from the pens of
jealous men, the truth will not be denied. Chaos will always prevail.

Unlike Darkness and Evil, we followers of Lord Babel have never failed
our Northern brethren. We have never betrayed them. We have never sought
to dominate them -- for what purpose does it serve to exercise dominion
over a moribund world? Unlike rainbow-eyed Eris, we have never deceived
them, and we have never abandoned them. When Ashtan has marginalised us,
thrown us down, or cast us aside, we have redoubled our efforts and
laboured to earn the trust of the people who share our home. That is why
the citizens of Ashtan have elected Nihilists to lead them. They have
borne witness to our tenacity and our resilience; they have seen us toil
and die for them. They know, beyond doubt, where our loyalties lie, and
obviously, they know where the truest freedom can be found. If decades
of effort and dedication seem like deception to the East, then it is no
wonder that your once-great city now languishes.

We have made our point at home in the North, and if your fatuous
recitation of loser's platitudes -- as refreshing as any hot, foetid
wind blown out of the South -- is any indication, we have more than made
our point there, as well. While you exculpate your failures as merely
the ebb and flow of victory, the golden sands of time empty, one by one,
into the base of the hourglass. It may well be that Shallam will rise
again, but if it means to stand to greet Oblivion, then it had better
hurry up.

Stir your embers, my dear Father, and see if you cannot light a fire
beneath the tail your Mitran Scion seems so intent upon chasing. Perhaps
together, you can bring fresh purpose to the Light...but I shall not
hold my breath.


In service to Chaos, and the mighty Bastion of the North,


Amunet Viatrix Eruu'Yul

Archon of Ashtan
Demiurge of the Great House of the Occultists
Keeper of the Iron Crown

Penned by my hand on the 23rd of Scarlatan, in the year 598 AF.