A letter from Helmgard von Furt

(found in the sand of the excavation site)

My dear friend,

I am proudly writing to you directly from the front. My greatest wish to be part of the glorious liberation effort has come true! The years of dill and training have paid off, my superiors have full confidence in me and entrust me with important tasks.

I have penetrated the enemy’s camp several times and have been able to gain valuable information which, I have been assured, will have a decisive influence on the outcome of the war! I deliberately put myself in danger and did so in the certain knowledge that I was helping to protect my homeland, my people and the people who are important to me.

Life at the front is hard and full of privation, but these are minor evils that I am happy to accept if it gives me the opportunity to show these blinded people the right way. And believe me, we are showing them the way! Incidentally, I have come to the conclusion that these Mages of Departure, as they call themselves, or the Intemperate, as we correctly refer to them, do not tell theirs fighters exactly what their intentions are. Our superiors, on the other hand, and especially the mages in our ranks, are honourable people, they keep us informed, let us in on their thoughts and know how to make sense of our mission with their openness. No wonder, our unit is the most powerful that Sarkan has to offer, or so we have been told.

I don’t want to minimise the strength of our opponents, they have tremendous powers and the sight of what they can do would certainly make the heart of a less stable person than me sink into their trousers, but our side also has extremely skilled magical fighters!

The latest development, however, worries even me a little. Two days ago, a dragon was spotted high up in the mountains. The scouts immediately sent ravens to pass the news on to us. Having dragons in a battle is something that no longer has anything to do with war in the true sense of the word. These monsters are so strong that even the most powerful mages could not control them… who can impose their will on such a creature? I am convinced that we do not know whose side a dragon is on until it takes a side in the midst of the turmoil. I believe that dragons cannot be controlled, they make their own decisions. So the sighting of a dragon is a double-edged sword. Let’s hope, old friend, that the dragon you’ve seen now is on our side!

See you soon!

Your friend

Helmgard von Furt

Captain of the Flame Lance, bearer of the Copper Spike, champion of Schildbrück, guard of honour of the Seventh Cohort of the First Wall, comrade-in-arms at the Battle of Eberfurt, upholder of the marching order, and hereditary holder of the Holy Spike of Talgrund