Your Majesty,
I write to you with grave news. During the recent mission to retrieve another of the Artifacts of the Pentad of Power, Lieutenant Jeffrey fell in battle. While no body could be retrieved, it does appear that he is dead at the hands of our enemy - Relvinian. You have heard my suspicions before and now they have been confirmed. I now believe the truth about Relvinian's actions in the Kingdom to be far worse than initially thought.
As you surely remember, a Council of Nobles was convened following the death of Queen Dawn in order to establish leadership for Britannia. At the same time, the Kingdom faced a new threat in the form of Janus, a mysterious criminal with seemingly limitless resources and an army of mercenaries to do his bidding. For months the Royal Guard fought with Janus, until the Commander of the Guard, Olivia Kanlocke, came under suspicion of aiding some of the criminal's associates. Kanlocke disappeared, and the Council leadership put new restrictions on the Guards. A siege of the underground mercenary base was led by Brother Lian Vinre - the leader of the Council and a powerful mage. It seemed odd at the time for Vinre to lead such an engagement, as Sir Andrew was also on the Council and had considerable experience in military matters. Nonetheless, the siege was successful. Upon reaching the innermost chamber of the base, our forces found a grisly sight - the mutilated body of Sir Kerwin (another of the Council members, and a good friend of Andrew's). Standing over the body was a man named Mark - the same man whom Kanlocke was seen aiding. He was quickly slain by Vinre.
As I'm sure you remember from the briefing meetings, things were not as they appeared. Mark was working against Janus, while Sir Kerwin was a reluctant partner to the criminal's enterprise. Furthermore, Janus turned out to be Lian Vinre. This was revealed fairly dramatically during Kanlocke's sentencing after she had turned herself in. He was killed before being taken into custody, however, as Kanlocke broke free of her bonds and stabbed him - it seemed she had this in mind all along as he had killed Mark, her brother. With his dying breath, Vinre called forth an invasion of demons and made reference to a master whose "name was his." Kanlocke was last seen fighting a demon atop the walls of Castle Britannia.
I believe Vinre's "master" to be none other than Relvinian. The letters in the name "Lian Vinre" could be rearranged to spell "Relvinian," and Relvinian's demon-summoning actions are well known. If this is true, it may explain other incidents that have occurred in the realm since. Before accepting the the Crown, Your Majesty embarked upon a journey across Britannia in order to better know the Kingdom. By your own admission you were pursued by demons throughout your journey - I believe this too could be thanks to the actions of the undead sorcerer.
Sire, we do not yet fully understand the power that The Pentad of Power holds. What we know for certain is that nothing could be more important than preventing Relvinian from obtaining any more of the Artifacts. It is my understanding that Sir Andrew has been tasked with the safe-keeping of the Artifacts we have recovered. If I may be so bold, Sire, I would suggest security be increased wherever it is that Andrew is having them held, and that they be kept apart from one another - we mustn't allow even the possibility that the five Artifacts ever are joined, not while Relvinian is still a threat.
It has been suggested to me by some of my Investigators that there is a connection between Olivia Kanlocke and the rogue Benambra - the man whose Vault was recently uncovered and whose actions over three hundred years ago may have set in motion this conflict we now find ourselves engaged in. I believe this is true. I believe Kanlocke to be the descendent of Benambra, and the key to all of this. Before his death, Jeffrey told me of strange visions he was having - visions that would seem to support my own conclusions. In the event that we find her, I humbly suggest Your Majesty grant at least a temporary suspension of any punishment that may fall upon the former Commander. If she is indeed the key to this puzzle, we need Olivia Kanlocke on our side once again.
In your Service,
Detective Thorpe, Head of the Royal Investigators
I write to you with grave news. During the recent mission to retrieve another of the Artifacts of the Pentad of Power, Lieutenant Jeffrey fell in battle. While no body could be retrieved, it does appear that he is dead at the hands of our enemy - Relvinian. You have heard my suspicions before and now they have been confirmed. I now believe the truth about Relvinian's actions in the Kingdom to be far worse than initially thought.
As you surely remember, a Council of Nobles was convened following the death of Queen Dawn in order to establish leadership for Britannia. At the same time, the Kingdom faced a new threat in the form of Janus, a mysterious criminal with seemingly limitless resources and an army of mercenaries to do his bidding. For months the Royal Guard fought with Janus, until the Commander of the Guard, Olivia Kanlocke, came under suspicion of aiding some of the criminal's associates. Kanlocke disappeared, and the Council leadership put new restrictions on the Guards. A siege of the underground mercenary base was led by Brother Lian Vinre - the leader of the Council and a powerful mage. It seemed odd at the time for Vinre to lead such an engagement, as Sir Andrew was also on the Council and had considerable experience in military matters. Nonetheless, the siege was successful. Upon reaching the innermost chamber of the base, our forces found a grisly sight - the mutilated body of Sir Kerwin (another of the Council members, and a good friend of Andrew's). Standing over the body was a man named Mark - the same man whom Kanlocke was seen aiding. He was quickly slain by Vinre.
As I'm sure you remember from the briefing meetings, things were not as they appeared. Mark was working against Janus, while Sir Kerwin was a reluctant partner to the criminal's enterprise. Furthermore, Janus turned out to be Lian Vinre. This was revealed fairly dramatically during Kanlocke's sentencing after she had turned herself in. He was killed before being taken into custody, however, as Kanlocke broke free of her bonds and stabbed him - it seemed she had this in mind all along as he had killed Mark, her brother. With his dying breath, Vinre called forth an invasion of demons and made reference to a master whose "name was his." Kanlocke was last seen fighting a demon atop the walls of Castle Britannia.
I believe Vinre's "master" to be none other than Relvinian. The letters in the name "Lian Vinre" could be rearranged to spell "Relvinian," and Relvinian's demon-summoning actions are well known. If this is true, it may explain other incidents that have occurred in the realm since. Before accepting the the Crown, Your Majesty embarked upon a journey across Britannia in order to better know the Kingdom. By your own admission you were pursued by demons throughout your journey - I believe this too could be thanks to the actions of the undead sorcerer.
Sire, we do not yet fully understand the power that The Pentad of Power holds. What we know for certain is that nothing could be more important than preventing Relvinian from obtaining any more of the Artifacts. It is my understanding that Sir Andrew has been tasked with the safe-keeping of the Artifacts we have recovered. If I may be so bold, Sire, I would suggest security be increased wherever it is that Andrew is having them held, and that they be kept apart from one another - we mustn't allow even the possibility that the five Artifacts ever are joined, not while Relvinian is still a threat.
It has been suggested to me by some of my Investigators that there is a connection between Olivia Kanlocke and the rogue Benambra - the man whose Vault was recently uncovered and whose actions over three hundred years ago may have set in motion this conflict we now find ourselves engaged in. I believe this is true. I believe Kanlocke to be the descendent of Benambra, and the key to all of this. Before his death, Jeffrey told me of strange visions he was having - visions that would seem to support my own conclusions. In the event that we find her, I humbly suggest Your Majesty grant at least a temporary suspension of any punishment that may fall upon the former Commander. If she is indeed the key to this puzzle, we need Olivia Kanlocke on our side once again.
In your Service,
Detective Thorpe, Head of the Royal Investigators
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is but a very brief summary of the events so far, and an idea of where things are going. For fuller detail on the current event arc, "Benabra's Trail," please visit THIS PAGE on the Catskills EM Website.