Master Jasonovi,
Meilikki grant that this letter finds you safe and happy in our chosen lands. Many things have happened since I last wrote; I wish to bring you up-to-date on the happenings in this location of Her lands.
First, I must tell you that I have found something... someone, perhaps, from your past. Do you remember the stories you told me of your Mentor? The one you only called Darks Bane? And the great weapon that he wielded, called Finslayer? Well... it seems that Meilikki have put the two of us together. Finslayer and myself, that is... not Darks Bane. I guess that Darks Bane finally met his match... possibly at the hands of something known as a Raksasha... a great cat-shaped humanoid which wielded great magics. We (the Truth Seekers and I), met with a pair of them (seperately, not at one time). One of them had Finslayer hidden away.
He (Finslayer, that is), has decided to... how do you say it... select? me as it's new wielder. Although, after it bit Ariessus, I wasn't sure I wanted anything to do with it. After much debate, I made a deal with it... as long as he did not disparage Ari's heritage, I would be honored to accept its charge. He grudginly accepted, so I will not have to listen to its comments about how she will one day betray us. I'm afraid I cannot change his mind (actually, his nature, as that is the way he was crafted). However, he was smart enough to realize that it may be another couple of centuries before he found another Grey Ranger suitable to carry out his mission.
And, what a mission it is! Finslayer, seeker of the blood of Kuo-toa. And, as it happens, there are Kuo-Toa on the path before us. I wonder what Darks Bane was up to? Were he and Finslayer out to fulfill their mission... to eradicate the Kuo-Toa? Or was it something more sinister? After what happened on the surface................How far had Darks Bane turned? I know, from your stories, that he was no longer favored of Meilikki -- could he have turned so completely so as to seek the Kuo-toa for another reason? Just thinking of that makes my head spin.
Hmmm... I guess you don't know about the Kuo-Toa... or at least their link to the kidnappings. It seems that the Ill-i-ith-id you mentioned in your previous letter are involved in, but not the source of, the trouble. Indeed, from what we have gleaned so far, it is the Kuo-Toa who masterminded the kidnappings... and perhaps some other foul plots. The recent war which swept through Jurgenville and the surrounding mountains may have ultimately stemmed from them.... I am not sure yet.
Yes, we are still on the path. We move carefully, though slowly. Too slowly for my comfort. And there is so much more going on now.... Sane has left. You remember my friend, don't you? Well, he has finally found some of his kin, from the underdark. The Kenku have started setting up some sort of underground meeting place/market. Sane was excited to meet them, and has, for a time, left the Seekers to pursue contacts which may lead him to his family. Meilikki grant that he is successful -- I know what it is to be alone -- without knowing whether your family still lives or not. More on that shortly.....
In his absence, I have been selected to lead the remaining Seekers. It is not a task that I am apt at. Scouting ahead, ensuring tunnels are safe to traverse, that I can do. Keeping the party focused on the mission is a bit more difficult. Making decisions which lead to the accomplishment of our objective while following the rules of the Underdark I have grown up with is proving to be near impossible. I have twice now nearly walked away from the 'Seekers and struck out on my own (well, Shadow and Hunter would have followed me... and perhaps Ari as well). I began to see the Seekers as a hinderance -- even a menace to what I hold dear.
For instance, what should I have done when we recently encountered a tribe of creatures called Quaggoth -- creatures of some small intelligence who were menacing a tribe of Snivberlin which lived nearby. We tried talking, only to find they were only interested in hunting. My instinct was to restrict their access to the tunnels leading to the gnomes... the rest, or most of them, wanted to eradicate the Quaggoth.
As you know, fighting is not my style when other options exist. In the end, a danger greater than that posed by the existence of the Quaggoth was uncovered; though, sadly, the tribe was wiped out. To this day, I do not know how I feel about the situation.... on the one hand, they were hunting the gnomes (the gruesome evidence was there for us to see as we entered the lair), on the other, they were a race of intelligent (albeit lowly intelligence) beings; I felt, and remembered, my own days as a child when the orcs stormed out of the mountain caves. What makes me any different from those orcs?
Thankfully, the fight, and what we uncovered after the fight, changed my mind again about the Seekers. They were able to see something I could (and frankly, still can) not; I still pray we do not have to fight our way through everything we encounter (though some of them would be happier for the "exercise"); my frail bones just won't handle too many more fights, I fear. Yet, I must be ready when we finally uncover the root cause of our widespread problems.
I go shortly to speak with Valdaeron shortly... I felt I must write this portion of the letter before my meeting with him. While Sane did wonders in teaching me to write, it still takes me quite a while to form the letters properly. My meeting with Valdaeron will, hopefully, be revealing. He promised to look into the possiblity that my family is still alive, in one of two places. Perhaps I will finally have some happy news soon, instead of tales of wars and kidnappings.
I shall add to this letter upon finishing my meeting with him.
Until then, I remain faithfully your student and Meilikki's servant.
Castinar