[the newsletters are folded in half and stacked neatly on the counter in the Last Stand, left by the poolside of the baths below, and placed unobtrusively in the lobby of the Tower]

Spellguard Transparency Ahoy

We, the Spellguard, would like to keep the public informed of what we have been up to, as numerous opinions have expressed desire for transparency from the Spellguard. The purpose of this newsletter is not to serve as a crass propaganda rag. Moreover, we're not going to "enlighten and convince" the masses, because that presupposes that our viewpoint is necessarily going to hold any weight for them in the first place. We are actually able to compromise in order to produce solutions to Sanctuary's legendary problems, to produce moderated ideas that can actually gain some acceptance from more than Spellguard sympathizers. Because you know, that's precisely what you need to effect change: the support of more than just your usual supporters. To that effect we welcome suggestions, comments and ideas on how this newsletter should be handled, or on how the Spellguard should be managed, or anything at all pertaining to the organization.

The Unseelie Menace (or lack thereof)

Some may have noticed that the unseelie attacks on Canal Ward have abated. This is due greatly to the efforts of Associates Malchenko, Ironsord, Associate Captain Othur, then-Associate now-Agent Lemalian, and overseen by Agent Ramana. They ventured into a tunnel leading into the Unseelie Court, somewhere in the Canals. Upon entering it was apparent that the fineries of their society had long been abandoned; cushions on the ground were smeared with feces, feces were smeared on the walls, carpets were covered in it, and piles of it gathered on the floor. They fought their way through savage red caps and devious slaughs by the dozens. As they progressed, the tunnel opened into a sewer section. The unseelie there languished by the pipes from which the Substance used to flow, their mouths comically distended to receive their dosage that never came. In an open area of the sewers awaited the unseelie queen, flanked by her grotesque pet, a hideously large and mutated Underdark spider. The queen was dispatched after a prolonged battle, however the spider proved too much for the weary group. It pursued them out of the tunnels and into the Canal, from where a friendly wildman by the name of Jau'relin, who had been watching them the whole time guided the group back into the Canal Ward. There, Agent Ramana marshaled several State Defender Animatrons to put down the savage spider with the help of brave adventurers that quickly arrived at the scene. No civilians were harmed. We remain cautiously optimistic that with one less outside threat, the Canal Ward will continue to develop as a trade sector to bolster Sanctuary's anemic economy.

A Day in the Life of an Agent by Jacob Noble

On second thought, I can tell you how I do my job, but not really what is entailed in that. So here's a more serious and honest go at transparency for my inherently opaque portfolio. I wake up and get breakfast in the Last Stand, and make sure that nothing urgent is in my inbox. I walk to the Tower and make sure it still stands and nothing has exploded. Assuming nothing horrible is happening I stagger into work.

Work leaves me largely free to browse agent reports as much as I want, which is good because I enjoy it. I keep in touch with my agents via private letters, and depending on if they have something actionable I may be passing that on to the appropriate superior. When things are calm, I browse reports from other Agents; non-urgent reporting goes into more formal dossiers that we compile about various topics. I also do a lot of general troubleshooting and chatting with figures of the community. When I'm not doing that, I'm browsing the dregs of the various bulletin boards around the city, trying to pick up any hints as to what somebody will do next that might impact on Sanctuary in some way.

Once I leave work, I come home exhausted and may even get a chance to adventure for a couple hours. I'd say I miss adventuring, but for me the Spellguard is the adventure, and this is a lot of fun, even if it's a ton of work!

Spellguard Trivia

Why are the Spellguard colors red and black?

The first person to mail Agent Jacob Noble [PM preferred] with the correct answer to the trivia question will receive a small prize. It is perhaps a difficult question and he is interested to hear all guesses, no matter how speculative or outlandish they may seem. You must supply a valid return address! The answer and winner will be announced in the next newsletter.

Writing for the Newsletter

Want something printed? Submit an article, interview, wanted ad, or editorial! Send it in to the Agents. Use a pen name or write anonymously if you like. At the moment this newsletter is operating with little to no overhead, which has its benefits but we cannot offer much in compensation or guarantee your submission is publicated, though any of this may change depending on the quality of the submission and whether we find monetary support, which of course is welcome from anyone.