Hulean Correspondence 11
by Christian ConstantinChetniu, Flaurmont 19, AC 1010
Dear old friend,
Our journey in Miriestiu has been violently interrupted. It looks like I haven't been to loose the people who were following me in the city. The day after my last letter, we found out that our hotel was surrounded by the Holy Men secret police, they were controlling the identity of everyone going out of the building. We had to escape on the roofs of the neighbouring houses. Unfortunately, our escape hasn't been unnoticed and soon the Holy Men crowded the streets. We were able to go out of the city by its sewers, but, even outside of Miriestiu, the Huleans were just about everywhere.
Since the escape routes toward Olgar were occupied by enemies, Georghe, our young Bulzanian guide, proposed to head toward Chetniu or Dishinau, the two smaller Bulzanians cities. Xhemil, the Antasynian "merchant", suggested that instead of going to Dishinau, we should move north to Chetniu where he knew some people who could help us.
This proved to be a fatal choice for him as we saw later. Indeed, he had some good contacts in Chetniu, and it is them who currently keep us hidden from the Holy Men's eyes. However, on the road from Miriestiu to Chetniu, our small group was stopped by a Hulean cavalry patrol led by on of the Holy Men. We were forced to invent a purpose for our presence there. but they didn't bought it, neither did they believed in our fake identities. A quick but terrible fight ensued, during which Xhemil was mortally wounded.
After the combat, we fled into the Chetniu Woods, south of the city, where we hide for an entire day, but even with the magical healing provided by Katerina, the Olgarian cleric of the Church of Traladara, we were not able to save Xhemil. His last wills, were for me to bring his personal journal to "The Happy Maiden", the head of the Shadow Guild, in Chetniu.
I couldn't stop myself from giving a look into his small black book once my friends were asleep. I was surprised to find a detailed survey of the different criminal organisations of the Converted Lands instead of a merchant's logbook. I thought that this information could be of great help to help us understand the different aspects of the Hulean empire, this is why I have attached it to this letter. I hope that you will be able to use it.
We haven't been able to take a look at Chetniu since we arrived by night to avoid further meeting with the Hulean administration. The local Shadow Guild, is well protected from any indiscreet look, and has some luxurious features as it owns many of the local thermal baths. Since we brought them Xhemil's book, they have accepted to help us smuggle our way out of Bulzan, In Antasyn, they told us, the Hulean presence is less inquisitive and it is easier to conceal our identity since many Antasynians do not consider themselves as subjects of the Master. I hope that they are right and that we will finally be able to escape the Master, a task made harder by the fact that we are now considered as a group of bandits responsible for the murder of a Hulean Imperial patrol.
Your friend,
Zoran Dragovic