Lt. Fawkes,

I'm sure you don't know me. I'm Emmerson Palmer, a weapons instructor of no reknown. I was informed today that the Watch is aware of the situation at the Lower Gate, being the various monsters taking residence within the city's walls. I was told the Watch has a plan to deal with the situation, and that I should speak with you regarding it. Whatever is needed to deal with the situation, I wish to lend my aid. If you wish for someone to rout the creatures from the city; it would be my great honor to handle such a task if it will be of aid to Sanctuary, and the Watch. A response may be sent to the Rock Bottom or the Beacon in Lower.

Sincerely, Emmerson Palmer

*left at Rock*

Citizen Palmer, I do not deal with anyone associated with the Beacon. They are unfortunately criminals who believe that because they steal from the wealthy they are justified.

Your offer of aid is greatly appreciated, but so long as you remain akin to untrustworthy criminals; I can not trust you to be of service to Sanctuary.

Lieutenant Fawkes

Lieutenant Fawkes,

Criminals? I don't understand, sir. I've never in my life stolen from anyone, much less the wealthy. I do not have any idea what you mean by what you say here. The Beacon is where I sleep, while I spend most of my day offering every bit of aid I can to the unfortunate citizens of Lower. I do so only because I know no place more devoted to the cause of righteousness than here. I've only been in Sanctuary for a short time, but I greatly desire to be of aid to its citizens. I am bewildered to hear you label the workers of the Beacon as criminals- I did not know of any crimes before I began offering my aid here. And still I do not offer it in any more official capacity than that which Ilmater mandates. Please sir, I beg you to reconsider your stance. I do not know what the other members of the Beacon have done to upset you. It is a place of charity, not a den of thieves.

Emmerson Palmer

The Beacon sir began as a charity founded by the Painbearer Michael Collier and Demetrius Bhast. They began the place as a realm where Bhast's charity and Collier's faith could flow to help the poor suffering hopeless people of Lower Sanctuary.

During a revolt in Lower Sanctuary fostered by several criminal gangs and supported politically by agents of the Seekers, the charity was seized and granted or sold -the story there changes frequently- to a woman named V. Blackhaw. She immediately sold everything inside that wasn't nailed down, hosted poetry readings, and sought out men and women to "run the charity".

However, the amount of charity that has flowed out of the building has never reached the levels it was when Bhast helped manage the building, the holy altars and statues were sold to the highest bidder and the procedes never went out in charity. Bern even named herself a "Lower Councilor" and helped continue the revolt in an effort to avoid a reunification which would force her to return the Beacon to its rightful owner once the Watch was able to enforce laws in Lower Sanctuary once again.

Despite offers by Demetrius Bhast to allow Bern to manage the charity, provided his managers are allowed to review her operations to ensure that the money is in fact all being used for charity, and his offer to ensure that even more medicene, food, and gold flows into the charity from his own coffers--Bern refuses to even discuss the return of this property to its legal owner. By now, its impossible to know which members of Bern's staff are involved in her criminal acts and which are merely innocent men and woman who think they are helping the masses and do not realize that by aiding Bern they are in fact keeping Bhast's charity which is far more generous from flowing into Lower.

I fear that once reunification is complete, the Beacon may be shut down when the Watch is forced to arrest and try everyone associated with the Beacon. This would be a very unfortunate event, but something we will have to do because the staff at the Beacon sadly refuses every offer Mr. Bhast has made to negotiate with them. The only reason we have not made these arrests already is because Mr. Bhast insists that he can find a way to reason with these people. All I know is that I must soon do my duty, whether Mr. Bhast wants the arrests to happen or not.

If you truly wish to help the Beacon, perhaps you can convince the staff to begin speaking to Mr. Bhast before the charity must be shut down because of the process of law.

Lieutenant Fawkes

Lieutenant Fawkes,

The story you tell is troubling to me. I have been given no cause until now to hold any doubt about Miss Blackhaw, and have only seen her to be a congenial woman with the city's good interests at heart - certainly I have not seen any signs that she would be one to fall to such things as greed. Nevertheless, I am sure you did not gain your position by telling lies, sir. I will give your words their due credit, and consider that perhaps I have been decieved.

However, as informative as your previous letter was, it did not address my real concern - I wish to help the city, and the Watch; I offer again my aid in whatever plan is decided upon to secure the Lower Gate before our various enemies arrive in force.

Respectfully yours, Emmerson Palmer