To the Silent Port:
By the grace of Tel'Seldarine and the leave of our captain, the Jackal, I, Cutpox of the Princess Gildenglade, to here write you the minds of all our company. We collectively pray for you, and crave on your behalf the good fortune and blessings due you for your great gifts of foresight and patience. Aye, and vérité.
After this latest burden bearing, for which your contact in Ylraphron was quite glad, we won for your cause two tales of interest. First, it is as you had feared; Sembia is, under the tutelage of Netheril, not only granting full amnesty to such vessels as shall prevent the coming of goods to your shores, but further placing bounties on the goods-bearing vessels themselves, so that when they are brought whole to port, the captors receive some paltry sum to soothe the straining of their more destructive natures. Calaunt, because of the assortment of thieves that pretend to rule Scardale, has taken close note, and has of late acted more fiercely likewise, so that Ylraphron is quite nearly completely choked of her resources. Your case stands in better stead than hers, for there has not been yet found a purse whose jangle might drown out the howled name of Lord Hawke. Not wanting to seem in any way envious of that good lady's company, we elected it wise to stay ashore awhile, and so made diverse contacts before we pushed out to sea again.
In Tsurlagol, Ylraphron's trouble was common talk, and upon very gentle questioning on it, the other bit of news did burrow its way into our ears. These cunning Semmite serpents, having seen that no one wishes to step into the way of Hawke's wrath, split themselves in two, and do thus play shepherd and wolf at once. This tale did seem passing strange to us, yet it did not move us enough that we should elect to write to you about it, until our persons were, by its cause, personally moved. When we put out to sea, our leanings southerly, we caught sight of a cargo ship flying the colors of Procampur, seemingly escorted by a ship whose colors were accompanied by those of the Semmite state, yet then followed somewhat close by a ship without colors at all. We held our place at the first, but seeing that the vessel without colors did set sorely upon the two before it, we did close in with intent of preventing the boarding of Procampur's daughter. While we did expect some contest from the ship without colors, whose men we did take to be brigands of some sort, we by no means foresaw the sudden attack from the identifiable Semmite ship. Only when we had dearly bought the lives of Procampur's men with two of our own did we discover that both ships were Semmite, and that the cargo ship had been summarily taken captive- bound, much against the will of her crew, for Selgaunt. From papers and strong questioning did we glean this information, and once both were exhausted, we set the Semmites, together with a grave charge against any further congress with Procampur's vessel, on their own way.
We did not ourselves make any contact with that cargo ship, yet we could have done no further harm even if we had, for despite our caution, our name proceeded us to four other ports. We took warning quickly, and, our various wounds and wants being eased, moved quickly to the north to escape the dreadful interest of Lord Hawke. We would not return to her waters until her curiosity has been elsewhere turned, and thus must beg off your commission for a season. The Jackal, being learned in nearly all the area of the northeast, has advised us toward Nyth. The place is small, he assures us, and even if made wise of us, shall treat us no more harshly than any idiot beggar could expect, so long as we comport our several selves with even the modicum of common politeness a brute barbarian might be able to muster.
Tel'Seldarine, and all your various gods, whatever they might be, keep you in all health and graces. We crave your prayers from our continued advancement, which shall, in turn, advance yourselves; should any contact of yours come near Nyth, let them but bear some shadowy semblance of your name, and they shall bear also the favor of the Princess Gildenglade, even as diminished as it shall be in that strange land.
Aye, and vérité,
Cutpox of Princess Gildenglade
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