To my Esteemed colleagues and masters:
I sincerely hope that all is going well in Nexus. Presumably the message this will be traveling with will debrief you on the current situation here in Chaya, but I wish to give my perspective, to start.
After being contracted by our Guild's representative in this matter, Chei, we ventured to the place of business of a fellow Apothecary, a man by the name of Shi Xa, in Chai Hun. With his help, and the help of his assistant, we were able to track down an ingredient I feel may be the key to creating a cure for this plague. My research led me to believe that the disappearance of three rare plant-based ingredients, which might be key components of any cure, are no coincidence, as all of them are associated with funerary rituals in their areas. My theory was apparently vindicated when we were attacked by some agent of the underworld, who, presumably drawing on the shadowlands we found ourselves in, called himself a "Death Knight" and summoning a legion of the undead to attack us when we attempted to take what might be the last Broc flower in existence. He knows we are attempting to cure this plague, and admitted that it was one of his own that created it, under the Guise of the Mask of Winters. Fortunately we managed to rebuff him and secured the flower.
After this, we headed back south to Mo Ha, on our way back to Nexus to regroup at my workshop. In the interim, a death cult had become active in the city. I met with local Guild leaders here and discussed what I just told you. First let me say that I found a very receptive audience here amongst my fellow Guildsmembers in this city. An otherwise erratic town, it was good to be among people I could talk to on the same level. Having discussed our respective trades, I believe the Guildsmembers here are attempting to drastically overhaul the situation in Chaya, for the better. I approve of their reforming attitude, and were I not otherwise disposed I would consider joining them. In any event, they became very concerned about the possible connection between the death cult in their city and the abyssal agent we faced, and are weighing their options regarding possibly fortifying the city. I suspect they intend to leverage this goodwill in an attempt to gain support amongst the Chayans for the aforementioned reform.
First, I wish to reiterate my support for the local Guild. I believe their work here will benefit us greatly. In particular they will be of great help to our group in our quest to cure this plague. Whatever requests Judith Morian and her subordinates make in the message this is attached to, I humbly suggest that you fulfill them; the revenues will exceed the expense.
Second, we will not be returning to my workshop, as planned. Instead, I have made it clear that my group will set up shop in this city, to support whatever decision the Tribunal here makes. They have promised to arrange for a facility for us to use as a living quarters, laboratory for analysis to further our goal, and triage for wounded in the case an attack does come. Depending on what follows, we may be temporarily sidelined in researching the plague, but I believe in the long run it would be unwise to leave Chaya to its own devices. That said, I still want access to my resources back at my facility. I humbly request that the Guild send word of my need to my apprentices, and help them to make the trip here; I need them to arrive here safely and in a timely fashion, along with any ingredients and finished products they may still have there, any resources necessary for maintaining the business (money, paper, etc.) and any necessities of home (bedding, food, etc.). Basically everything except the house itself, and any patients currently bedded there (they will have to be relocated to another healer's, I am afraid). I realize this is no small request, but I hope that the Guild sees it as fulfilling its part of the contract we signed, which stated that we would get assistance wherever we are, so long as we returned the favour. As far as time...it is too early to say how long we will be here, or if and when the agents of darkness might attack, but having them take two weeks' time to get here is better than nothing. Hopefully it will take less time.
Thirdly, while defending the region is important, one of my companions has repeatedly stressed that such actions will not suffice; he favours an offensive approach, to determine the enemy's next move and pre-empt it. As it stands we probably do not have the manpower to do both. If the Guild is aware of resources at its disposal that could ease us in this regard, it would behoove them to employ them to prevent disaster. One...novel...idea has stemmed from this. Another of my companions who has just joined us (I should name her specifically, since she is connected to the guild; Violet Spoglini, I don't think her father needs any introduction) suggested a possible agreement with the Fair Folk. An unlikely tactic, but to be fair to her, the idea was first suggested by a companion of Doctor Shi's, who pointed out that the Fair Folk may have had a hand in ridding the world of the Great Contagion (before invading it, perhaps as a prelude TO their invasion) and that this plague has shown resistance to their shaping methods. The first means that the Fey may have the methods by which to assist us in curing the disease, as well as cutting off the shadowlands that our enemies will likely employ; the second means they may have difficulty in doing so, which could perhaps be brought to their attention to encourage their cooperation. I do not pretend to know what it would take to strike a bargain with the Fair Folk, nor to I claim to have the talents to do so. I merely present the idea as a potential. The literature the Guild at Nexus has at its disposal may be able to shed some light on the subject.
Thank you for your time. I hope this message has reached you quickly, as the more time we waste, the more time afforded to our enemies. I look forward to assisting the Tribunal here in its efforts, and hope that we accomplish much here.
- Flawless Silent Soul
PS. It has occurred to me that there might still be samples of the doomed reagents in Nexus (the aforementioned component used in death rites). If the Guild could determine if any of these flora (the Broc flower, Uisi root, and Opal Wreaths) can still be purchased (alive if at all possible, but any form, really), and if it could do so and send such samples along with my apprentices to bring to me, it would give us a much-needed edge. I suspect we were lucky with the Broc flower; we may not have that luck again. And with only one live plant to our name, I would much appreciate an insurance policy in case something happens to it. We may be able to breed the flower, but doing so would take at least as long as it would take for my apprentices to get here, and there's no guarantee of success.