To: Streck Brightblade
Clan Leader

I shall begin with the sad tidings, that we may move on to brighter things. Though I am honored by your kind offer, I must regretfully decline. While I would indeed enjoy the opportunity to gain expertise in diplomacy, research, and leadership, this part of the world still faces a grave threat from the Spiders, whose strengthening presence in Silverton and through the lands between the desert, the Western Keeplands, the Eastern Empire, and the sea must be of concern to us all. A confrontation with the Spiders looms, and my skills are best put to use in the field, demonstrating our solidarity with our elven kinfolk, the Whitemoon Council, and the humans to the West, and laying the groundwork for closer ties between our Clan (and the others that will follow our shining example) and our many compatriots in Good. For too long, Evil has thrived by sowing dissent and suspicion, dividing the forces of Good and subverting them one by one...in darker days, before your enlightened leadership, were not the name and emblem of our own Clan associated with extortion and brutality throughout the lands of the Empire? My adventuring team, forged, tested, and proved through long years of unceasing battle against Evil in its many forms, has shown how humans and all races of Good elves can work together, showing a united front to all manner of Evil. With my ties to the Clan and to the Temple of the Wind, with the respect and informal support of the grey elves (and their forest avatar), the Council of the Keeplands, and the dwarven clans of the mountains, and as an informal deputy to the Champion of Good, I am uniquely qualified both to show the world that despite the undeserved reputation of our race, high elves are a most potent force for Good, and to foster an alliance of all good folk, elf and non-elf, through both word and action. The time now seems ripe for high elves to take their honorable and rightful place among the larger community of Good, and in the midst of both our perils and our opportunities, it would be both improper and irresponsible to neglect this work for the sake of personal advancement...and so I must regretfully decline your most gracious offer.

However, I do agree that more adventuring experience would assist Kalis in his growth as Sub-Leader, and perhaps all is not lost in this regard. My team does have periodic respites from the battles that surround us, and it should be possible for me to spend some of these times at HQ, freeing Kalis to gain some adventuring experience. Perhaps he could expand our contacts in the community of Good with short-term ventures in the company of other up-and-coming adventuring teams, who could doubtless benefit from the unique talents of a high elven fighter/mage. (We are of course in total accord on the fighter/mage philosophy -- swoop down on the enemy as an avenger from their darkest nightmare, fighter and mage abilities melding into an awesome force; this is perhaps our most potent gift as high elves, and part of why we have, with Corellon's blessings, endured and even prospered in the face of opposition for so long.)

While we are on the subject of Kalis, I must report some distressing news that I received in Cthul-Ra recently. Silvator informs me that Kalis took out a loan for 5000gp in merchandise (primarily ink) in the name of the Clan. Silvator agreed to the loan out of his respect for our patronage and our hitherto unblemished credit history, but thus far Kalis has not repaid the debt. While Silvator hopes that this incident will not force him to lower the Clan's credit rating for future business, I felt that the matter was serious enough to be brought to your attention.

In the matter of Headquarters defense, I could not help but notice that the priests in my adventuring group cover the spheres you requested. It may be possible to arrange for these priests and my team's trap and snare experts (who have extensive knowledge of both magical and nonmagical forms) to agree to work as consultants on an upgrade of our defenses. (Though this may be done as a gesture of goodwill from them and their temples, diplomatically some reciprocation will likely be in order.) As one of these priests is from the Grey Elven Forest, this could also provide an occasion to discuss more formal ties between the Clan and the Forest. Of course, I will continue to watch for both Good priests and high elves who show promise for our rebuilding and expansion.

I have heard that several of the other Clans will be becoming active in this area; in particular, the Parnos and the former Elite Guard are expected to take part in a combined offensive against the Spiders (who, unfortunately, have also benefitted from the many setbacks we dealt the Shades). I am curious to know what other Clans will be returning to the area, and I look forward to working with them to coordinate our actions against our common enemies.

The Silverton School of Magic is always an interesting entity. It may be prudent for one of our operatives in Silverton to learn something about the School's latest incarnation; however, they should be extremely careful in any dealings they have with Hajmola. In particular, Hajmola has gotten into the habit of distributing items that drain magical ability along with his "favors", and any mage we have there should be made aware of this. There are also some questions regarding his plans for "Silverton spells", and I strongly recommend against any Nirduk mage learning or using these until more is known about them.

Any information our Silverton operatives can uncover regarding Spider strengths and movements in the city would be most helpful in our coming confrontation. Our people should take care not to engage the Spiders; skirmishes in this early stage, before our forces are assembled, are more likely to benefit them than us. Also, I have heard that the Shades have taken the former Duke's island for one of their strongholds; whatever force replaces them will naturally have an excellent base for Silverton operations. The aquatic Spiders doubtless have their eye on this site, and I wonder whether our prowess in underwater operations might put us in good contention for this prize.

My knowledge about the East is limited, but if Banzeel intends to become a Free City...and, more importantly, reverse its barbaric policies regarding elves (and other demihumans)...then I believe that it is in our interest to support this change.

On my upcoming visit to the West, I will investigate the University's upcoming mission to Auramkil and make my recommendation according to my findings. I believe that understanding our past and the forces that have shaped us is crucial to controlling our future and our destiny, and so I am well-inclined toward this endeavor. Depending on what I learn, my team may be interested in accompanying the expedition if a combat presence is required. (When the Ravens intercepted us, we were in fact heading toward Auramkil, so this may fit in well with our plans.) But since I am not well-suited for a prolonged archeological mission, for a longer-term assignment I would suggest someone with an interest in history and in understanding our heritage; ideally, I would also vote in favor of someone with some knowledge of our past and some experience in this type of mission.

I am glad that all is well with you, and I trust that our Clan's future grows ever brighter.

Ganeth Starfire
Sub-Leader (External Operations)

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