Dear Master Zorthaster,

Finally, some small success. Even so, I fear the swift approach of dark shadows. While our plan to sneak into Shade Enclave failed, our objectives of information gathering and rescuing Larissa were achieved. Unfortunately, the information we discovered fills me with dread. We have returned to Shadowhold with both my sister and loads of important information and I've already started contacting allies and providing them with updates as fast as I can. I just don't know what good it will do. Next on the agenda is to finish deciphering the details of the estate transference modifications and getting to work on the application of the spell to Shadowhold and its environs. Again, I am compelled to work feverishly on tasks that I don't understand and cannot see how they connect to form any sort of hope for the future.

Regarless of my lack of vision, the transference should be faily manageable. We'll need some stone from the plane of shadow and Kerith will have to enchant a device to be used as a switch or lever to control the transfer between our prime and that dark plane. It appears that energy for the art can come directly from some of the remaining heavy magic we managed to save. The shift itself will draw on energy of the weave at the spark. I'm estimating that the whole process will take close to 20 days of work and that all the materials will likely cost approximately 20,000 gl Unfortunately, when I mentioned that to the group, everyone suddenly had to examine the toes of their boots. No one volunteered to help come up with the coin. I guess they figured that since this was "wizard work," I could cover it out of my pouch if I really wanted to do it.

Our first scheduled meeting of the Shadow Alliance was kind of touchy. Leevoth arrived alone on a griffon while four kenku accompanied Leaping-from-the-Aerie. We all listened attentively while Leevoth told us his plan to get us into Shade Enclave. It involved disguising ourselves as kenku with art and being taken in as prisoners. The shades had long been scouring the Desertsmouth Mountains for renegade kenku. The birdmen were accused of breaking a long-established pact to serve the shades. Leevoth and the other agents of the Princes of Shade have had little success in capturing kenku so far so the arrival of a load of captives should be seen as a cause for celebration rather than suspicion. Leevoth thought that we could be brought into the city and that he could arrange for an "accident" to free us in the night. We could escape into the city, resume (or assume) unremarkable shapes, and hide out, keeping low and gathering information.

The kenku refused. They told us flatly that they would not work with anyone from Shade Enclave. We did convince them to do some significant work scouting the enemy forces and sharing that information with our other allies. They left after agreeing to return in one month to meet again as part of the alliance. They are a difficult race with which to work. Proud and unyielding, they get visibly agitated if they even think that someone might desire to tell them what to do. I don't understand how anyone, even the Princes of Shade, ever thought it was a good idea to enslave such a race.

Over the next several days, Leevoth went back and forth between attending to his usual duties and instructing us on how to blend into the background once we reached the city of Shade. He even informed us of a couple of safehouses that we might use, mostly sites that were now deserted. Our main instructions related to staying clear of the princes and other high Netherese, not talking much but listening instead. We discussed the possibility of turning someone else, someone in a position of power, to our side and initially, Leevoth was convinced that it could not be done. When I learned from him that Shade's mythal did not prevent planar travel, I became convinced that it could. I explained as much as I could about mirror walking to him. He agreed to think things over carefully before giving us any hint of agreeing to help develop a plan. As the date for the execution of our infiltration plan approached, he returned to us and said that he had set things in motion to assist us. The one person that he thought had potential was a woman by the name of Syrah, a close confidant and lover of the High Prince himself. I had no more than heard the name and it seemed as though I felt the movement of a huge, cosmic puzzle piece snapping into place and the effort to get Syrah, the love of Peraus Wands life into the plane of mirrors seemed inevitable.

Finally, when it was time to proceed, Leevoth arrived with a skiff laden with strong cages. We polymorphed into kenku and, with some trepidation, allowed ourselves to be locked in. We were placing our trust in a Shade, leaving most of our weapons and instruments of destruction and defense behind. It was a terrifying prospect, but on we went.

It was a long flight to the City of Shade. Along the way we passed over the mountains and saw the kadtanach prowling about. As we got closer to the floating city, things began to happen quickly. We approached from below, coming up to docks that were below the plane of the city's surface. We were met by guards armed with crystal-tipped staves. Behind them were warriors and people that we could tell immediately, were very important. For an instant, I saw a look of terror on Leevoth's face, a look that appeared completely sincere. He composed himself immediately and dropped to his knee in servitude, addressing the tall dark-robed man with a dragon-winged overmantle as "My Lord." It was apparent that our greeting party consisted of several powerful arcanists. My blood went cold though when I recognized Lord Shadow himself greet us. A casual wave of his hand instantly dispelled all the cloaking magics we had in place. High Prince Telemont and Lord Shadow were one and the same.

Shadow bantered a bit with the arcanists before dismissing them all. He released us from the cages and invited us on a tour of the market, where he pointed out, with a great, unruffled calm, the sights and sounds of the city as it bustled around us. It was frightening to see the self-assured, urbane Lord Shadow acting the tout as the populace appeared to cower in terror. He showed us the Determinists Guild and universities to train arcanists as well as battle damage caused by the Chosen's attack. He pointed out how unfortunate it was that innocent citizens had been killed or orphaned by the unwarranted attack.

Along the way we spotted the beautiful Syrah, guarded by two catlike beasts of metal that looked like they could have shredded those steel predators we encountered in the Spiderhaunt without even trying. We also saw dozens of skiffs and people flying with owl wings sprouting from their backs. Lord Shadow's running commentary was enthralling and his accent shifted a bit from time to time, first sounding more like the harsh, clipped syllables of the Sword Coast, then drifting into the rolling tones of Thay or Aglarond before returning to the more familiar-sounding Dalelands accent. I decided that he was doing this on purpose, not from lack of understanding, but to show his superiority to us.

Even more surprising was the willingness of the High Prince to enter into a debate with us. He was smug and self righteous throughout, but he allowed us to question him and his motives. I'm not sure what was more frightening, his easy rationalization of all that he had done, or my unexpected sympathy with some part of what he was saying. I could almost have seen myself reacting in a similar manner if I had been in his place. Almost, until I recalled that he had kidnapped my sister.

Again he disarmed my arguments by sending Prince Lamarack to find Larissa and bring her to me. She rushed into my arms and I didn't let go of her for the rest of the day. In the meanwhile, Lord Shadow continued to answer all the questions we could raise. We learned that Shade had returned to reclaim their homeland and to fight the phaerimm. They were here to fight against the evil sleeping in our midst, not to take something that was not rightfully theirs. They had not planned on returning for decades, but the breach of the Sharn Wall had forced their hand and they had returned in haste to protect us. Prince Telemont even claimed that the sharn were, in reality, some of their greatest arcanists who had volunteered to take on the strange form of the black, chaotic monsters to better fight the phaerimm.

All the while we engaged in this discussion of the wonderful return of the Shadovar to their homeland, the mistrust and violence they faced upon their return, and the lengths to which they went to help those that had turned against them, Shadow continued leading us on our remarkable tour. He described how the children taken from their homes were treated kindly and that the arcane testing had shown that talent for High Magic still could be found among the descendants of the Netherese.

He took us through armories stuffed with smiths working on weapons and armor, and through a huge map room loaded with beautiful, ornate maps that showed what Anaruoch used to look like. We came, finally, to stand in front of a dark globe of magic in the center of a cavernous amphitheater. We stood in front of the mythal, one hundred feet in diameter, that formed the heart of Shade Enclave and could do nothing to affect it or to influence our fate or the fate of all Faerun. I was filled with despair and it seemed for a moment that I could see, below the surface of the globe, the lands I love deep within the dark body of the mythal, all under shadow.

The High Prince of Shade basked in the dark glow of the mythal he had created. "Take this message back with you, tell the people you know that if you let us be, we will let you be." There was more talk after that, but my mind had gone numb. Shadow's drama had succeeded; he had told us everything he wanted communicated to the leaders of today's world and had shown us that he was confidant of his righteousness and secure in his power. That was the real message. We were no threat to him. The forces being assembled to assault Shade were no threat. He was unconcerned about any threat we could pose and was sure that if anyone dared to create trouble again, they would be crushed.

A skiff was soon arranged to take us away. I clutched Larissa close but no one made any move to separate her from me. The skiff took us from an unfamiliar set of docks below the city and flew swiftly across the distance to the Dalelands. Along the way we flew low over the dark pit where Tilverton once stood, another reminder of what faced those who opposed the Shades. We were left outside Shadowhold in the dark gloom of night. Our friends inside quickly let us in and peppered us with questions but there was little to say that night. Larissa and I stole away as soon as we could to spend time alone with each other I learned then that she had been taught to shape darkfire in the arcanists' university and that she had discovered on her own, a gift for spellfire. I became frightened anew at these revelations and realized that protecting my little sister was likely something beyond my ability. I need to find someone to aid me in this important endeavor, but I don't know in whom to put my trust. I fear that no one will love her enough to put her needs before their own when they discover that she wields both arts.

After putting Larissa to bed, I spent the next several hours doing as many sendings as I could manage before sleep overcame me. I told Oriseus and Sharantyr and Omen that High Prince Telemont was Lord Shadow but it did not seem to matter to their plans. I contacted others, desperate to have friendly contact with them. I fear that the shadows of our doom are fast approaching and there is little I can do to make even the smallest difference.

Sincerely,

Cedar