Messages

Dear Estellise,

I think that I am doing fine. I have managed Selsi in the past without issue, even if this time holds certain troubling differences.

Still, I am willing to hear your counsel on this matter.

I will find you tonight.

Regards,
Estellise Azimi

Dear Niranye,

I am still investigating the matter, so it's hard to say what the truth will turn out to be, or even if it will ultimately be possible to uncover all the sordid details.

Matters involving the djinn are often extremely messy.

As far as the People's History goes, it is in good hands with Acolyte Miro, so I don't worry over much about it failing to be completed. Such was important to Alejandro, myself, and of course, the League of White who commissioned the work.

We can speak anytime you wish. I should make a point to visit the gallery more often now that it is open. You have done remarkably with it.

Regards,
Estellise Azimi

Dear Miro,

Admittedly, creating wine does not interest me, but if you allow me to drink it while explaining, I will be content.

Do you mean to be interviewed by me or once more by my Apprentice and me?

Regards,
Estellise Azimi

I had planned to keep this somewhat discrete, but after observing him destroy all of Alejandro's worldly possessions and attempt to declare the People's History that Alejandro cared so much about at an end, I could hold my tongue (and brush) no longer.

"Elias" (Not his real name) is an agent of the Djinn.

Despite repeated warnings from the Sisters of the Priory, he saw fit to carry Alejandro's body, containing the last tether to the poor man's soul, to the abode of a Djinn Prince that Alejandro and I had sealed away together.

He has not only shown no remorse for this act, but he has also gone out of his way to conceal what occured and to destroy or scatter everything related to Alejandro's legacy.

Even though he did not see me concealed under invisibility, I observed him destroy the Hidden Poem in Palm Heights days before I caught him destroying all the furniture in the inn room that they had shared.

The man is likely in the thrall of this Djinn or one of its servants and caution is advised.

When confronted, he approached me alone and whispered "No one will ever believe you."

We will see, you wretch. Ephia's Well does not suffer Brookers for long.

Apothar Estellise Azimi

Dear Naelin,

Cursing objects to destroy the livelihood of would-be thieves is simply done for a Fatespinner.

In truth, nothing against Clarissant, but the prospect that you had some business that she could not hear had intrigued me immensely. Now I am disappointed.

Boredom is the curse that affects all Witches and must ever be alleviated, I find, so I understand fully.

I am eager to discover this greater purpose in letter writing, in truth.

Gnoming is fine. I hate the act far more than the word.

I wished to speak to Margarethe about Selsi. I will tell you no more in correspondence.

Regards,
Estellise

Dear Naelin,

I will take you up on your offer as I wish to know what troubles you.

Fatespinner is fine. High Witch is somewhat embarrassing, even if I agree that it is rather ominous.

It is no surprise to me that you can sense the Pendulum of Fate as a fellow Witch. The most obvious risk of this occurring that I can foresee is that in 70% of futures, the Legates acquiesce to the demands of Sagebrush and see them placed upon the Stele. It is entirely possible that these dinars exist to make you more malleable to such.

Margarethe said I should have given the People's History to her Apprentice, as she is a student of history. I presume we would get along if she gets along with Margarethe, but yet, I have no time or inclination to chase down some two-bit historian, even if I would find her height amusing.

As for grief, I understand the dangers well, and if I were the one counseling myself, I would likely tell myself to be rid of it, yet I know that I would not. I am only human and thus I cannot help being sentimental at times. I never let it go so far as to hinder my goals, however.

You have largely answered your own first question by answering my question from the previous letter. These letters exist for the same reason, to stave off your boredom.

I don't wish to think about Kythie as a gnome, but I would likely see her the same, so long as she were the same in every other respect. If her gnoming caused her to adopt gnomish characteristics and personality traits, then she would no longer be Kythie and I would be forced to see her in a new light.

Regards,
Estellise

Dear Miro,

Of all the available wines (and I do prefer wines) that are available in this region, I hold as strong preference for rosewine that I do not expect to be surpassed anytime soon.

If I include every type I've ever sampled, then my preference would be for the wine of my homeland named for that smallest of multi-sided polygons the humble triangle.

I'm well aware, however, that the triangle wine is an artifact of the past, thus my preference for what I can acquire here and now. I couldn't tell you much about how it was made either. I only drink wine. I do not make wine.

I didn't grieve for Alejandro's death necessarily. He had been drained of all his vigor and the Alejandro I once knew had become a hollow shell. He was a husk.

I would hold no grief at all if he had been allowed to finally be at peace, but instead, some absolute fool decided to take his body to the very site where we sealed away a djinn together.

Now his body and soul are that djinn's forevermore. There is no peace to be had for him.

Regards,
Estellise Azimi

[Tammuz 28th, IY 7788]

Tammuz 28th, IY 7788

It's her. How long have you known?

Wait. That's a foolish question. Obviously, this is entirely your doing.

The vast Gulf of separation that exists between the current me and the first me makes it only natural I wouldn't recognize her reborn into this world as a Witch of Darkness.

Still, I felt the connection from the start, and it unnerved me. So I allowed others to deal with her.

Could there be any other explanation?

She was unmade by the Demon King, so how is any of this possible?

Was it her in past cycles or is this new to this one? The book never gave specific attention to her, so I didn't know. They would surely have warned me.

Only "Margarethe" warned me, but she would know what I know, not limited to the knowledge of those who have failed in the past.

What am I supposed to do now? I can't destroy her without risking a violation of the Covenant. But, I can't let her destroy me either. Would she even be able to? What is her own Covenant?

I will need to consider well my next move.

She is more than just a piece after all.

<3 i enjoyed alejandro's arc from idealistic storyteller to a slow tarnish from how the world affected him. gonna miss him, but looking forward to your next too

Dear Naelin,

I find a relationship's length largely impacts the grief's length. I find it hard to imagine that you would mourn Sephidra for "3 to 7 days", in truth.

I find it unlikely either of you will end up dead in any gutters. Your work takes you to places that do not typically have "gutters".

I don't know much about my Fourth Apprentice's Apprentice, but if she did well on that Test, then presumably she had a good Master.

I'm glad you've come to realize that doubting me is futile. I am aware of future events and tirelessly work to guide them in a direction of my choosing. The rosebush is even simply explainable. I do not wish to be surrounded and typically utilize it when people stand on both sides of the thoroughfare.

In many worldlines, I have been killed because I allowed myself to get surrounded.

It was a vial of Mote's blood, something important to us both. I feared that Margarethe was to run off and try something drastic with it, or throw it away to "protect me" from obsessing over the past. Taking it at all was a breach of trust, but fortunately, she returned it.

As for your question... I find punitive death has little to do with satisfaction. It is merely the surest way to be certain that the person will not kill again.

A question for you: what do you most wish to find in your wanderings and mappings? What do you seek?

Regards,
Estellise

[Tammuz 26th, IY 7788]

Tammuz 26th, IY 7788

Today is the day that Alejandro died, a Key Event that only occurs when Legate Balstan takes power in Year 1.

This was the move I spoke of. I hope you are suitably impressed.

Even though I think he is a wretch, his election was necessary to capture an important piece from your side of the board.

Still, I feel some guilt. Not for the man Alejandro became, but for the man he was. He saved my life once. If he had stayed that man, I would have seen Nasreen to the Legate Seat and the Prince expelled.

The burden of a Witch of Fate and Time is a heavy one.

Dear Naelin,

I'm certain that some will consider my actions unpleasant, but I truly do believe that seeing his findings into a trust would have been better than allowing them to be divided up by pecking vultures as did occur.

I continue to despise the Banda Rossa. They demanded 10,000 dinars before they would even allow me to peer in the room, yet they let the others in for 1,000 dinars. They will always make whatever decision is most unpleasant, whether that is killing Balladeers in cold blood or allowing Sagebrush to tear Alejandro's legacy to pieces.

Obviously, my issues with them aside, the fault lay with Alejandro himself. He was ever a servant of Gellema and took more secrets to his grave than that room could possibly contain. Additionally, I am certain that on some level having his collection scattered to the winds satisfied some Gellemede whim to see the knowledge lost once more.

As far as your concern for your own people goes, that hardly makes you a "bad person". It is only natural to prioritize those whom you have chosen to surround yourself with. Generally, the only way to be a "bad person" is to withdraw entirely into oneself and care for no one else.

The Rose Contract is as meaningless as all the others. Kragg went straight to the Alchemist's Guild to set those Brookers upon my Apprentices, because he preferred their company to ours. If the Banda Rossa were run properly, they would summarily execute these Recluta, as their reasoning would be similar. They preferred the Prince's company to the Balladeers' company.

Loyalty is not to be found among merchants or mercenaries. It is a foreign concept to such wretches.

I care little for my Legacy. I only care about the prevention of the Ephia's Well Disaster. If I fail, then no one will be around to remember me or my actions anyway.

I found Margarethe on her way to our Den of Dark Designs and she returned the vial to me.

Regards,
Estellise

Dear Naelin,

It was an irritating matter but yes, it's fine. I'm back to my original height. Whatever the entities did was temporary.

I only have two regrets in recent memory. Running for Legate and lowering my guard around Daoud. Regrets are infrequent for me, given my ability to see what is coming in advance.

I think it is reasonable to be angry at Alejandro. In truth, he is a man who has thrown away every kindness and good thing ever granted to him. He has no true friends remaining because he has no loyalty to offer and receives none in return. He is a shell of his former self and fits in well with the Sagebrush "Corps".

It is not a matter of a new Mystery Cult having captured my interest so much as one specific Mystery Cult that is suddenly surging in popularity. Every Acolyte says the same thing, that they came here with the express intention of joining the Priory and they considered no other options before doing so.

I find it extremely curious.

As for Margarethe, I would obviously find a way to turn her back. If she remained a worm, then she would be at risk of Domhnall killing her.

Regards,
Estellise

Dear Naelin,

Today is better than yesterday was, for a variety of reasons. It was good to see you, other than the part where your haunted Hall caused me to endure more gnome-related height theft.

As for Marcellus, I expect the inside of his Mind Palace is a horrible place. Seeing how he views me in there would be extremely irritating and I imagine it would be an enormous library caught in a war, being burned and pillaged by warriors who cared little for knowledge and learning.

Such is the true person Marcellus is. A man who saw youth pass him by and is attempting to live a second life in his final years. A life that betrays his original life in every way that matters.

I like writing essays when they are my own choice, so it's not difficult to say. However, if someone put a crossbow bolt to my head, I would do nothing they asked. They are a wretch and deserve no writing from me.
 
At the moment, I would enjoy writing an essay about what attracts people to mystery cults.

Regards,
Estellise

Dear Naelin,

Given how easily you can reach me at the Tower, I'm uncertain what purpose written correspondence would serve.

That said, if you wish to write me, I will respond in turn.

I typically enjoy writing, so long as the writing involved is not a court-appointed Essay.

Regards,
Estellise