The North Ride Letters

((Now that the population of Shadowdale is split, riders carry letters, packages, and messages along the North Ride with more frequency. This thread will give a look at some of them. Any factual information about news and events here is considered "rumor or common knowledge," that your character could have picked up somewhere. Any point of view is considered a common point of view, but not necessarily the most common. DM approved.))

Dear Clara,

How are the twins?  Did Drue stop her crying? I hated to leave you there with the elves, but we had our orders. Anyway, Shadowdale is for soldiers, now. Soldiers and outsiders.

They've run us over, by now, with their magic swords and fat purses. I know we need them. Problem is, they know it too. And when they lift their weapons, we never know whether they'll fall for our good or our ill.

Somebody killed Lord Azalar. Guess it had something to do with that damn paper the elves wanted signed. They say it went unsigned for years, so why bring it up now, with them dead at our door? If they want to help, then help. But if they want to use our troubles to make us sign some paper, well they can suck an egg.

I heard Farl was for it, but he is dead, too. Some outsiders stuck the other two Elders in jail. What gives them the right to treat our Elders like thieves? I don't like it, but what can I do? What can any Dalelander do?  

They built that big town hall, then those big walls up north, then that tower where Lathander's temple used to be. The mages are building a tower and someone's building a castle out west. We're out of wood, out of stone. We can't even finish our walls, and the dead are walking closer. It's grow or die for us. But they can do as they please, and dress and eat like kings. What do they know about grow or die?

We're penned in. The zhents want us under foot. The elves want us weak and small. The dwarves want...ah hell, who even knows what they want? They come and go by their tempers. The wood people want us to build our walls and houses from mud, I guess.

I don't know how it will turn out, but you can bet the outsiders will come out better for it. They always do.

I better wind this up and get to my bunk. Don't take nothing from the elves. Stay on the farms. Keep Elie away from the water. I know how she likes to swim.

Take care of my girls, Clara. And raise them at the foot of the Great Mother's shrine. No matter how nice a house them priests put you in and no matter if our land is salt and ashes, we are still harvest people. Never let them forget it.

Love,
Josiah