The Abandoned Soldier

Part 1

Father,

I am thankful to have heard from you again. Rest assured that I am watching my back as well, though I sense no threat from the people here. The humans in the area seem unconcerned with my questions of their past, making clear that they have only lived here for little more than two centuries - well recorded in our histories.

The halflings hold their secrets very closely, however. While gold can loosen their tight fists somewhat, the word is out about my interests. I have always heard of these folk as simple and friendly, but when conversation turns to the Fallen Star, they close their mouths and no gold will open them again.

I tell you this so you understand the difficulty I have gone through to get this latest series of documents. Again, these are from before the Cataclysm, but they seem to be from what you have called the "Old Thestran" language family. If I recall, you stated that Old Thestran books come from a time of wars between great empires. Each empire had their own script, and none seem to have been deciphered as of yet. This particular series of pages were bound between two leaves of forged iron preserved in beeswax.

As before, the copyist made a copy for me, and I am sending you the originals.

Your faithful son¹

Part One Translation ("Boogenhagen" of the Official Vanguard Forums): Thanks be to those who watch from above for being given such a task as this. Can it be true that I am the only one thought worthy of this honor? My liege and my column leader have asked me to seek the mysteries of this crater desert. I had spoken with many of the other soldiers about what discoveries awaited us here. Smaveul(?) once told me that nothing could have happened in such a backland as this but I found it meet to disagree. I find my thoughts pulled to that giant pit every day. It is as if it calls to me. I argued thus for a week never thinking that anyone cared for my own thoughts that something ancient and wonderful would be in the brackish waters of the crater.

Then it happened. My columnleader delivered to me a commandment written by our liegelord himself. My orders are clear spend at least a month preferably two In the desert of the crater of star fall. Look for the mysteries I had dreamt about and wait to be picked up by the army when it returns. I was amazed. Could it be truth that the liege lord himself heard my ideas or is this some elaborate joke on me? I cannot allow pride to cloud my vision. The army left me with some few supplies as they marched on and I watched their columns move on into the hills west of this desert. I have to find what I can before they come back. The soldiers will not laugh on my dreams again.

Part 2

Father,

I can't help but think sometimes I am missing something important. What began as a search for clues to our past here on Thestra has taken a darker turn. At times I fear I have lost my grip on what is true, yet, at others, I begin to understand that perhaps I am the sole holder of a truth that has been hidden from us.

Two of my associates have disappeared. We had begun work on a second message drawn on this fabulous silky cloth. Upon cleaning and preparing the scroll, they excused themselves. An hour later, we looked for them, turning up nothing. Their personal effects are still here, but of them, we have heard nothing.

Despite this alarming setback, we continue as though nothing has happened. It is important that we not show our troubles to our hosts. The people here in the village always keep watch upon us - as I have said before. The mayor, a halfling fellow named Grimbo, actually asked us point blank if we could leave the village and find some other place to stay. After paying him some few shillings, he left again, but I fear he will return with more demands.

I note your silence again. Is one letter from you all I will receive out here?

Your faithful son²

Part Two Translation ("Zenya" and "Boogenhagen" of the Official Vanguard Forums): A week has passed. My camp is made and my supplies are well hidden. While no one seems to have ever visited here I deem it nu-s-n to fall back on my training as a soldier and prepare a defensible camp. This desert is many days in any direction and the crater itself spans a dozen leagues but I still seek my own safety as first in my mind. My solitude is absolute. It makes me wonder if I have not been honored but abandoned instead. Though, instead of nattering on about my fears and my camp I should relate my fist great find. The fallen star crater which is commonly thought to be a shallow muddy lake is actually as dry as a dragon's heart. From afar the action of sun on the dry ground has created an illusion greater and stronger than that any smallfolk illusionist could conjure forth. There is no water in the crater but glass.The crater is made of glass and the sunrays make it seem as muddy water from afar.

Looking back on yesterday's words I know what thoughts you must have. This craterglass is not the glass our blowers back home make but a rough black and green glass that forms in large flowing drifts like a river turned to black ice. Sometimes in my dreaming mind I can imagine that the glass may have been made from the very rock itself. Imagine such a thing as that.

In the center of this crater is --------------. I will write more on this later.

Original page: http://www.thesafehouse.org/vanguard/lore/Content/Letters2.php