These were the last words of Sheriff Graiden. I feel they should be heard along with this petition.

Esteemed Councilors,

I am but a humble dwarf. I have served this city all my life.

Just under a month ago, the Council offered to elevate me to the post of Sanctuary's War Leader. I declined. As the founder of the Watch, Charles Bresley, wrote long ago, such a supreme command would be a responsibility so great that it would be "larger than any one man" could bear. Yet, I am coming to fear that this was a grave and terrible mistake.

Our fair city has begun to gear up for a war against the sprawling lizardfolk nation of Sslal'teesh. Yet, the Council has done nothing to improve our readiness for such a confrontation. Letters of concern from my Lieutenants have been mocked and set aside. Advice from former Watchmen on the Council has been ignored. It pains me to take any time away from the urgent preparations of the city's defenses to write this letter, but our city cannot afford the Council's inaction any longer.

Our city's first line of defense is the Watch. I have spent my life serving with the city's bravest defenders, and when I was given the opportunity to take over as Sheriff, I felt that I could receive no higher honor. I have made every effort to root out corruption and restore honor, dignity, and excellence to this organization. Yet, at every step, the Council undermines my efforts to reform the Watch into the organization that Sanctuary deserves.

To begin with, I do not understand how it served a lasting peace to delude Bill Danielson and the figures of Upper with contradictory promises. Bill Danielson claims that he was promised the authority to hire, control, and manage an independent Lower Watch without the oversight of any Upper authority. This is in direct contradiction to the Eleint Accord that I have been told to follow. This impasse gravely threatens the stability of a functional and long-lasting Watch.

I can not condone the Council's decision to continuously support rebellion and insurrection against the Watch that was formed to keep the people of Sanctuary safe. Seekers openly preach against the Watch, and I'm told are being seriously considered for medals of honor. A Private who was trying to do his job was beaten savagely and two Councilors did not step in but rather applauded it.

I do not know if we could have avoided these hostilities with the settlement of Sslal'teesh, but I do know that Sanctuary has traditionally survived in these dark depths by avoiding entanglements beyond its borders. Yet if war was inevitable, then serious plans of defense should have been considered. All reports indicate that Sslal'teesh has many, many times the numbers of soldiers that Sanctuary does, yet the Council has seen fit to do nothing to close this gap or pursue alliances with those who could help protect us, choosing to instead lead only the occasional antagonizing and ineffectual raid on our enemy and find new enemies to threaten us.

There seems to be an attitude among certain Councilors that the Watch has been over-funded, but may I remind the esteemed Council that our responsibilities have been doubled and we've been forced to prepare ourselves for a war against a foe that vastly outnumbers us.

I am afraid that the above concerns I raise in this letter may have dire consequences for Sanctuary.

There are many reasons it is difficult to recruit for the Watch, but I hope that all of you agree that it is vital we do so. For the Council to so publicly disrespect the Watch and the order it represents makes this vital task all the harder. How are we to recruit new defenders when the Seekers preach of our destruction in the streets and Councilors applaud assaults upon our men?

I regret to report that there is considerable unrest among the ranks of the Watch. Many feel that the Council demonstrates little respect for the dangerous life they have volunteered for themselves, choosing to appoint disreputable thugs to high positions and fold to the demands of rebels and criminals.

The relationship between the Watch and Bill Danielson and those who listen to him is a house of cards that could collapse at any moment. This is because of the deceptions brought forth in the negotiations and the lack of interest in building a sincere, honest way to move forward on the part of the Council.

An attitude of distrust against the Watch will continue to spread, fomented by lawless adventurers and rebel-sympathizers, often times quietly or not-so-quietly supported by the elected leaders of Sanctuary.

All of this leads to a gravely weak Watch, and a Sanctuary that is as threatened now as it has ever been.

For the sake of Sanctuary, I beg you to consider the following requests:

Cut the funding of the Seekers, at least for the duration of the emergency, and give it to a group that's not actively advocating that citizens arm themselves and rise up against the Watch and Spellguard.

Cease the practice of upsetting long established precedent without consulting or even informing us, and provide clear and consistent guidance as to the laws that should be enforced.

Cease calling the Watch corrupt and incompetent, but rather recognize it for what it is: an imperfect organization made up of imperfect men and women, united in a noble cause, that of the preservation of Sanctuary. Accept that the Watch needs and deserves your support.

Develop a serious plan to defend this city from its enemies, and grant emergency funding to this end. It is time to get serious about defending this city, before it is too late.

Councilor Matterheim, your honorable service in the Watch will never be forgotten. For the preservation of the ideals you upheld, I beg this of you. Councilor Tyrell, your histories have shone light upon our city's past. For the future of our city, I beg this of you. Councilor Blackhaw, you warmed the hearts of even your coldest critics with your charity to the poor of Lower Sanctuary. For the safety of those huddled masses, I beg this of you. Councilor Fryar, your fiery faith has inspired a generation of Sanctuary's younglings. For the lives of those children, I beg this of you.

Stop spitting on our organization. Stop treating us as though we are dirt, to be kicked around and slandered and mistreated and ignored. We strive to preserve the order and security of our fair city. You have brought Sanctuary into this war, and now the fate of every man, woman, and child within our walls rests in your hands. Please, I beg of you, take your responsibilities seriously. We can no longer afford to indulge in pointless squabbling, misguided dreaming, and never-ending personal feuds.

For the sake of the Sanctuary that has kept us all safe for so long, I beg that you make the changes that are so desperately needed before it is too late to -

It was the Watch that led efforts to stop Aqaurai. We fought the Slaal'teesh north of the Blue Mushroom, we fought them to protect the exiles, we fought them at the gates. When the time came, we fought them through Slaal'teesh's streets. I struck down Aqauarai even after she struck down four good Watchmen alongside the many citizens that came to aid.

Graiden gave his life at the gates to stop them.

Councilor Tyrell meanwhile urges you to give the Seekers medals for urging citizens to arm themselves to attack us. Councilor Bern is known to be harboring armed gangs in the Beacon while members of the Beacon staff including Ferdinand Fenwick openly declare the Elient Accord null and void. Even as Bern insults me, calls me corrupt, and works with others to either overthrow the Watch or see me expelled from it--I pulled Bern's grandmother out of a slave pen after I fought Aqaurai still bleeding from my own wounds.

We are your guardians. We bleed so you do not have to bleed. We die so that you can live. Our cause is not as glorious as finding "Ascension". Our cause is as simple as sacrificing ourselves so the rest of you can have a cause that sounds glorious.

All that the Watch asks, presuming we even outlast the next 24 hours and the death that the Shadow Dragon intends to bring us is the following.

Stop spitting on our organization. Stop treating us as though we are dirt, to be kicked around and slandered and mistreated and ignored.

And to show you listen, we at the Watch ask the Council to do the following:

1) Close the Beacon by order of the Council. Inform all there harboring weapons to disarm and leave immediately. Then look through the papers there to ensure no major revolt was planned, if necessary order the arrest of those behind it. Afterwards, return the building to its lawful owner and stop making a mockery of property rights.

2) Urge the mayor to repeal those laws that I've spoken of-the laws that cost us all our allies in the Underdark and make the job of the Watchman harder. Urge Councilor Russel and Blackhaw to publically apologize for letting a citizen, later discovered to be an illithid thrall publicly beat one of our men. Urge Councilor Russel to publicly apologize for misrepresenting the laws of Sanctuary and claiming citizens can openly walk armed down the streets.

3) Open an investigation of the Seeker actions that led to the death of Felzkirn and Boris. A team of Spellguard and Watchmen can gather evidence with a member of the Council over seeing it to ensure it is a fair process and not a witch hunt. Urge the Seekers to dismiss permanently any member of their organization that has partaken in revolts or openly called for revolt or the attack of a Watchman.

This petition has the support of the full Watch. I swear before Helm and Oghma.

Lieutenant Barrister Fawkes Private Dromar Choleon Sergeant Adella Sannen Private Cortyk Sheevs Private Rollek Klenson Private Quinlan Welles