My blood, as you have squired for me, carrying lance and shield as I needed, let me now share with you another burden that weighs down my heart. A trusted cleric has glyphed this letter so only those with pure intentions can read it. I'm not sure whether I, the author of this tale, can read it any longer...

These past seasons in the Order of Halus have been all that I could wish for - all my dreams of service have been answered. The towns and fiefdoms under our charge feel safe, protected, and prosperous. From peasant to lord, all those in these lands look to our crest with reverence and respect. Indeed, to the outside world, we are the ideals of service, honor, and good...and our history bears this out. Perhaps too well...for inside our ranks, I'm not certain we all walk down our chosen Path any longer.

Sir Bedus, my sworn captain, has returned from his pilgrimage far to the West. Always the ideal of our Order, Bedus has been a father to me. There is not a knight in our Order who doesn't revere him as the noblest, kindest, and most just knight of our very honorable group. And this, perhaps most of all, makes his transformation most disturbing.

He returned not with tales of our ideals spread in the West or with heroic deeds of our Order done well - he returned with a woman: Lady Kuan. We are chaste here, brother, and her appearance inside our Order alone would be cause for concern. But there is more...more beyond her looks and dress that seem foreign to my eyes. How can I explain...other than that my skin pricked from cold at first sight of her and her lady attendants? And brother, I have resisted Dragonfear...

Bedus announced that Lady Kuan was a princess from the West, and that her kingdom had been overcome by a foul menace whose power had spread the length of her borders...and now threatens to spill into ours. When asked of the details of this, Lady Kuan stayed silent, eyes like slits, while Bedus answered for her. In fact, in his short season away, he seemed to know much of their land's plights. Too much, some later said. I, sadly, would share that opinion.

Lady Kuan's people, Bedus told us, had been uprooted, and her army and people wish shelter within our lands, free passage, and protection, if need be. Surely, aiding those in need are the bread and butter of our Order, but there was only one who, at first hearing of this, believed that all was not as it seemed:

Sir Halleron, a knight in my lance whose god grants him powers for his faithful service, announced at once that she was a devil sent to destroy us. He believed that the foul menace, if there was one, had already taken over Lady Kuan...or that she was the menace herself. "What knights of order and goodness could we be," he said, "if we aid the very forces we stand strong against?"

And in the pause after Halleron's words, I fear that my life, and the future of our Order, was forever changed.

Bedus, angered by Halleron's outburst in front of Lady Kuan, challenged him to a duel to avenge the Lady's honor that was now damaged beyond measure in these new lands. Bedus, who proclaimed that he was the ideal of the true ways of our Path, would bring the power of justice against those who would stand in the way of this worthy crusade. The duel against Halleron for the Lady's honor, would be to the death.

And you are right brother, our path forbids the drawing of blood of those in our Order, regardless of the offense. Our Order could not fight to the death. The challenge Bedus made strayed from our path.

But a fight to the death did occur. Right then, right there, spurned on by shouts from the pits of our stomachs. So savage was Bedus, so strong, so powerful that every blow Halleron attempted to stop was like a child raising hands to a god. The young paladin fell so easily, so quickly. And instead of begging for mercy at the feet of the victor, he cursed Bedus for being tricked and spat at him with what would be his last breath. And Bedus, enraged, almost glowing, beheaded him...then removed his arms, his legs, his guts, and finally, his heart...all to the cheering of the gathered knights. Inexplicably, I was amongst them, screaming for blood and what was to happen next:

Bedus, the conquering hero, devoured Halleron's heart to our thunderous cheers.

And it was only when we were out of sight of Lady Kuan and her handmaidens that our lust abated. But Bedus and the Elders, to my knowledge, have not had a moment away from the silent Lady Kuan since her arrival. And now word has spread that we are to ride tomorrow to the West and escort her people and her army into Halus...into our arms.

Brother, forgive me. I fear that this course is wrong, and that it will lead to the destruction of our Order, and perhaps the destruction of all that I have been charged to defend...

My guilt is great, for I am a knight, bound to uphold my oath. But is my oath to an idea...or is it to my liege? Can the Knights to whom I have given my loyalty freely command me as they wish...even though their orders go against the charter of our path? Should I speak up? Should I break our unbreakable ranks... and at what cost? Is this very message to you treason in the highest degree?

The monks at Aubrey have told me that the glacier in the Titan's Flight moves so slowly that none can see it...but its power is such that the land's face is gouged by its teeth. My fear is that this change in our order is like that ice: cold, unstoppable, and forever transforming. The land may be forever scarred should it continue down its path. I wished for the spilled blood of my brother - and I received it...and drank in a manner not unlike Sir Bedus. The gashes in my heart are now painful and deep, and I wonder...can they ever be healed?

But I, young brother, am a Knight...who will march shoulder to shoulder with my Order wherever our lieges wish to go. To the Abyss if need be. I know that my brothers here stand by this creed as well. As should you. As knights, we walk under the weight of principle and oath. And if we buckle under that weight, what example do others have to aspire to?

The Path is high, young brother, but those with strides worthy must walk it. As must I on this new crusade.

Continue your schooling and heed the words of Master Buck. His wisdom has brought me thus far...much like your true heart and good ear.

Protect mother, train, and pray to the gods that they show you the Path. I hold your devotion close to me, and do all that I can to be worthy of it.

Your Brother,
Sir Vincent D'elay
Order of Halus

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