*a pile of letters stolen by a spy*

[ 8]: [WARLORD] Tearea: Warlord-Keeper Alliance
Sun Nov 7 02:25:50 2021
To: Warlord Keeper Davairus Olyn
Greetings,

I write to you this day in regards to the alliance we have enjoyed recently.
It has fostered good will, and has been successful for the most part in
serving the purposes of both organizations as they currently stand. The drums
of war have sounded consistently since its inception, an outcome that has
brought pride to the halls. However, I do believe this has caused a bit of
stagnation of late and needs to be evaluated. It is my desire that our
organizations be brought under the same banner as our purposes are not
mutually exclusive and can be reconciled through reasoned discussion as well
as implementation of change. My first intention in writing this missive is
to gauge each of your thoughts on this subject whether you support or oppose
such a merger. This will be the basis for future discussions which I would
like to have in the near future. Please send a scroll as I have with your
support or opposition, and your reasons why you support or oppose it. I
look forward to your candor on this matter and will relish the opportunity
to exchange ideas regarding a merger.

-Tearea the Red Lotus, Standard Bearer of Warlords



[ 9]: [WARLORD] Szrevan: Alliance and Merging
Sun Nov 7 22:10:03 2021
To: Warlord Keeper Davairus Olyn Dragoncouncil
Hail!

Not that it would make a difference, but I do support the idea of a merger.
I believe we have a lot to learn from each other and will usher Serin into
the next era under one banner. With Legion being decimated, there is little
to no tyranny about. Yet the realms have been in turmoil before and will be
so once again. The temporary hiatus from War would serve a good window to
organize and re-organize our forces, for when tyrants of Serin climb for
power once again, we will be ready to de-throne them.

With Respect,
Szrevan



[ 10]: [KEEPER] Fenlorn: Warlord-Keeper Alliance
Mon Nov 8 19:47:38 2021
To: Keeper Olyn Warlord Davairus
To the Fortresses,

I have reviewed Tearea's proposal, and spoken with her at length. And yet I
find myself conflicted.

Truthfully, I have had a growing unease with our Alliance. Witnessing the
Crystal Skull being held because one member of the Legion had a Deathmark
upon them left a poor taste in my mouth. Further, seeing Warlords pursue
Threats to the Balance, though they have not pledged themselves to uphold it
as Keepers have, does not sit well with me either.

The collapse of Legion is not something to be celebrated. The Balance
requires equal forces. Without their presence to counter the Knights,
those Knights will tend to expand their hunt for so-called 'evil' to deeper
corners of the lands. Even then to those who they deem to be aiding 'evil'
even if they themselves are not. Having received the Avenging Angel, I can
attest to this.

I find there to be three satisfactory paths forward. Understand that the
status quo is not one of them, in my mind.

First, we could indeed move forward with the complete merger of our
Fortresses. This would require a great deal of reflection for all of us.
We Keepers would need to council the Warlords in the ways of the Balance,
and they would need to swear off the use of those powerful artifacts as the
we have. Likewise, they should council us in the ways of War, and we would
refuse the further use of Magicks. There would be great adjustments and
sacrifices required from all of us.

In speaking with Tearea there was some notion of 'factions' under one banner,
similar to the Consortium, with varying Oaths of Keeper and Warlord. I do
not support this. That may well work for those ascetic Philosophers, but I
don't believe it's well suited for those of us who are more combative in
nature and duty. I realize that the type of union I have proposed would
leave many Magi and Druids without a potential calling, and this is
unfortunate. However, I don't find it appropriate for them to be fighting
under the same banner as those who have sworn off the use of Magicks.
Similarly, for us Keepers to be fighting under the same Banner as those who
employ those artifacts that we find inappropriate for use by Mortals.

Another option would be to modify the terms of our Alliance. The Keepers
could continue to exempt the Warlords from their effects on the Balance, if
the Warlords agree to cease invading other Cabals or capturing their relics.
Were a formal declaration of War to become warranted at some point, we could
re-evaluate the situation. They should also leave pursuits of Threats to
the Keepers. I don't like others fighting my battles, and I would think
the Warlords feel the same.

Finally, we could dissolve the Alliance. Clearly this is the opposite of
what Tearea proposed, but if the other two options are not palatable, I
see no other option. The present domination of the Warlords has caused the
complete collapse of another Cabal, and the others are quite weak. We must
make some change to restore the Balance.

As for my personal feelings. There are two things I would like to say to
start. First, though I have been granted the position of Keepermaster, these
are my personal feelings and I encourage Gerok and Mazin to express their
personal feelings without reservation or fear of offending me if they feel
differently. This is a difficult decision to grapple with and I would like
everyone to express themselves fully. I will not hold any grudges if others
disagree with me, nor will it color my opinion of them going forward. Second,
I am not one to employ half-measures. Whatever decision we should come to,
it should be adopted wholly and without exception. Trying to find some
strange middle ground to appease all will only weaken everyone in the end.

Now for my thoughts. Unfortunately I feel that dissolving the Alliance is the
most uncomplicated path forward. I bear no ill will towards the Warlords, and
most of my dealings with them have been equitable and honorable. However, I'm
not sure that they can zealously serve the Balance as it deserves to be.
They did not feel it in themselves as we Keepers have, or they would have
followed it and not War. I think some of them may feel the same way about
us Keepers.

That being said, if others feel different I would support a full and complete
merger of the two Fortresses. As I said above, this would require a great
deal of adjustment and soul-searching for all involved, but I think it can be
done. Lord Olyn mentioned that perhaps a new, unaffiliated party could help
us with this transition and I find that to be a very appealing notion. A
fresh perspective without all of the tanglings of past concerns could be a
great asset.

A half measure of modifying the Alliance should be a last resort if another
agreement can't be come to. Again, I'm not one to employ half measures, but
the status quo cannot continue.

These are my feelings. Gerok, Mazin, please share yours at your earliest


[ 11]: [KEEPER] Mazin: Warlord-Keeper Alliance
Tue Nov 9 00:46:11 2021
To: Warlord Keeper Davairus Olyn
Hail and well met,

I write this scroll in response to the few that have come my way so far.
Allow me to start with sharing that, this proposal leaves me in a state of
conflict. I see these proposals, and I cannot help but ask myself, what
makes a Warlord, and what makes a Keeper? What are our purposes, and how do
we differ? Those are the questions we must answer before we advance. I
find myself in conflict with the idea of joining with another organization
that has a totally different purpose than we do, just because we have an
alliance with them. Now before all this began, I was not aware of any
alliance between Warlords and Keepers, and I will state that along the way,
I have liberated the Knight item from the Warlords. Why did I have to do
that? That is a very important question for me. So first, I feel I need to
start with why I am a keeper. What drove me to join the halls of balance.
Growing up, I was a troubled kid, and by that, I mean I got into more
trouble than most. There came a time though that I had to make a choice for
myself. Who did I want to be? What path would my own life take? It was
through chance that I stumbled upon knowledge of the balance, and I regret
none of it. Lifes adventure is the journey to the destination that ends in
our final rest. So back to why I am a keeper, I became a keeper to bring
balance back to the lands. My soul desire was to stop the inequality
between good and evil, between war and peace, between magic and normal, and
most importantly between the artifacts of power that so drain these lands of
her rich resources. So, with that said, I must ask myself, what is our
condition of victory? No enemies? No artifacts of power? Or is it
something else? That question is one that I pose to all of you rather than
trying to suggest my answer, so I will move on to Warlords.
Who are the Warlords? Why are they Warlords? I read words about pride in
battles, and Glory, and Honor. What does that mean? This needs to be
reconciled, because I must ask, if we do this, what will our purpose become?
Will we battle for glory? Will we right the imbalances? How will we
measure that? These questions must be answered, for talks of this to go
forward, for the Keepermaster was right, when he stated that part of the
situation, we are currently in is a fault of the Warlords. Legion has been
decimated and there is no balance in the lands at this time. How will we
answer this? As it stands, Warlords currently accepts those of all paths in
their halls and were we to merge I feel that would need to change. You
cannot be of the balance and employ the use of good or evil.

Finally, a part of me wonders if not the Warlords present a danger to the
balance in themselves. I am not saying they could not change, but I tell
you, without this alliance the Warlords would currently be our biggest
threat. This fact right here is what worries me the most. Without great
change on the part of Warlords I am not sure I could be a part of such a
merger. With that said, I know that there will be great deliberation on
this, and no decision will be made without considering all of this.
Finally, thank you Keepermaster for being welcome to the opinions of a lowly
Stalwart.

Mazin the Stalwart of Keepers


[ 12]: [KEEPER] Gerok: Warlord-Keeper Alliance
Tue Nov 9 01:00:51 2021
To: Keepers Warlords
Keepers n' Warlords o' Serin,

Apologies fer me long sleep, as the Wilds be ever presen' with the potential
fer testin' oneself. Go' an interestin' stack o' papers 'ere we dun piled
up, n' ah figger i's abou' time ah throw me hat inna ring.

As the Keepermas'er been sayin', mah talks widda Warlords be mostly widda
Serpen' King. We been 'avin' a respec' fer eachudder since ah was still a
novice in me guild, n' ah go' li'il to say poorly abou' 'im. Same goes fer
me li'il experience wid both Shagroth n' Tearea. Bu', ah'll be admittin' i'
bristled me back hairs a bi' when ah figgered ou' them Warlords be huntin'
Threats. I' be makin' li'il sense to me, in particular cuz the Warlords
been dominan' fer so long, they ain't be needin' War to as an excuse to
ferder bea' people down. It seemed to me outside o' there du'ies. Furder
more, ah dun felt ri' impotent watchin' the Balance ou' o' Balance fer so
long, an ain' been able to do naugh' abou' i'.

Tha' bein' said, all paths forward be offerin' a solution to tha'. If
Keepers n' Warlords be movin' forward under the same banner, then aye there
be growin' pains. But lines be more clearly drawn, n' we be takin'
advantage o' the relative peace to reorganize. Tha' reorganization be
requirin' us ter rethink wha' i' be meanin' ter be both Warlord n' Keeper.
Ah be sayin' it now, Warlords be the Keepers o' the Arena, and representin'
fi'in with honor. Bu', it ain' real fi'in, n' the real threats o' the world
ain' be conductin' their fi'in in the Arena.

Warmas'er Tearea be sayin' i' 'erself, there be a stagnation. N' the main
reason tha' be there is cuz o' this 'ere Alliance. If Warlords be willin'
ter reconcile an' honor the Balance, ah can see a path forward fer the
merger. Likewise, if Keepers decide they be wishin' to fi' fer Balance wi'
respect to 'a fair figh'', ah can see the merger movin' forward. Tha' ain'
gonna be decided in a single stack o' notes, an' ah'm thinkin' we bes' all
mee' in person to discuss if we bein' serious abou' this.

As fer me own personal feelins, ah came from nothin'. Ain' 'ad nothin' bu'
dirt n' shite to call me own since ah was a boy. Ah always looked to make a
name fer meself, n' ah ne'er needed no shinies to gedder dun. Ah live fer
the challenge, n' ah dun agree widda Balance cuz ah seen wha' 'appens when
the scales be tipped fer too long. If we finna way to reconcile bringin'
balance, while mergin widdem Warlords, ye can coun' me in. Aye, tha' means
Warlords gotta play widdin Balance as well. If we finna way to reconcile
bringin' balance, while mergin widdem Warlords, ye can coun' me in. Aye,
tha' means Warlords gotta play widdin Balance as well. Tha' means both
Warlords n' Keepers be needin' ter do some soul searchin'. N' tha's why ah
figger we needa meetin' in person fer tha'.

(written in a barely legible script)
Gerok, Stalwar' o' Balance


[ 13]: [WARLORD] Tearea: Warlords and Keepers Discussion
Tue Nov 9 02:15:29 2021
To: Warlord Keeper Davairus Olyn

Greetings,

Having heard from everyone at this point excepting the Blademaster Shaghroth,
I believe our next best course is to have a meeting. This will be the most
effective way for answering questions, addressing concerns, and sharing ideas.
I'll hold my response to your thoughts in abbeyance until such a time comes.
having discussed in detail where I stand with both Lord Olyn as well as
Fenlorn I would also welcome the opportunity to speak with the rest of you in
person. I think the one thing we agree on at this point is that some form of
change is both desired from every party involved and acknowledged as necessary
as well. What form that change takes is on the table for discussion and we
have endless opportunity in shaping it. What I propose is that we meet three
storms hence to allow for such a parley to take place.

Tearea the Red Lotus, Standard Bearer of Warlords