There's been a great deal said about me lately. So much noise, and so many half-truths. I feel I owe a quieter truth in return, to those precious few whose opinions still matter to me.

Yes, I poisoned the waters of Green Lake and Ka'doloki. It was nine years ago, over the course of a single season, and before Ka'doloki was a world concern. I acted alone, on behalf of Blessed Arcadia, and told no one until I had no other choice. It wasn't pride that kept me silent, it was the weight of what I'd done, and the wish to spare others from carrying it with me.

I know how it sounds. I know what it looks like, written down in deliberate propaganda meant to condemn. But the truth is far less monstrous than the stories. My people have faced horrors beyond words: slavery, mutilation, the taking of children in the night. I could no longer bear to wait for it to happen again. The tritons have told us who they are, and what they intend. The Sea God has never lied about His aims; He's never needed to. People rarely hear Him in truth. They laugh and dismiss it as meaningless boasting, and assume their own safety. I cannot do this. The proof lies plain before us.

So I did what I could with the tools I had. I made something that might keep us safe. It has not yet been unleashed in earnest. It only will be when all other options are exhausted. It came at a cost, one I counted carefully, one I still grieve. It wasn't for some misguided hatred of Nature, or even for Progress. Fish and coral were never my enemies. I mourned them even as I worked. I still do.

But protection always demands something in return.

If you hate me for that, I understand. But please, understand me too.

Every choice I made was born from fear and love: love for a people who have already lost too much. Many of us would gladly tear the world apart to save our families. Many of us would be willing to poison the waters if it could secure a future for our children. I can't be sorry, and I would be lying if I said I wouldn't do it again, and more, if it became necessary.


With sincerity,
Ildiko Isariel
The Winged Poisoner

Penned by my hand on the 9th of Scarlatan, in the year 988 AF.