[the second issue of newsletters are folded neatly in half in a similar manner to the first, stacked on the counter of the Last Stand, left in the baths for poolside reading, and placed unobtrusively in the lobby of the Tower]

Participants Needed in an Experiment

Agent Semaj Lemalian could barely contain his excitement as he proudly displayed his findings in the lab. It seems our resident expert in materials science has discovered a heretofore undiscovered substance. It is artificial, meaning not found in nature, and liquid at room temperature, but displays properties unlike anything else we have encountered. Before you ask, it's not the Substance; it's something else entirely. He seeks participants in an experiment to determine his material's practical uses. Participants will be required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and a release form absolving the Spellguard of responsibility for any lingering effects of exposure should they arise. We are working to find compensation for your time and cooperation, so expect that. Send a letter to or find Agent Lemalian if you are interested in participating, or simply wish to find out more about the experiment. Espionage in Sanctuary

When the Spellguard was founded, and throughout its storied history, the assumption existed that there was a vast illithid-led conspiracy against Sanctuary. When Agents could find no evidence of this whatsoever, the directorate interpreted this to mean that the conspiracy was simply very well hidden, and that they needed to look harder. That, in so many words, describes the relationship of the Spellguard to any other intelligence gathering entity in Sanctuary. When we began, we assumed that we were far behind the curve. We desperately rushed to catch up to a level of espionage that we assumed existed; when no evidence of other shadowy organizations was found, this was interpreted to mean that we simply hadn’t even come close to them in breadth and security. The Spellguard you are familiar with today has either come to realize, to their surprise, that there simply wasn't any competition, or it could be still in the search for a vast aberrant conspiracy.

The vast bulk of espionage activity in our city is mercenary in nature, rather than nationalistic or idealistic, meaning that agents are more likely traitors selling intelligence on their organization for money, rather than a trained full-time spy loyal to a single entity. Motivating informants with monetary benefits or trinkets cultivates the kind of agents we do not wish to attract; we would need more mercenary informants to verify the reliability of the ones we already have. Basing information gathering on mercenary interests on the scale the Spellguard requires, would quickly turn into a costly mess, and personally someone who asks to be paid for providing information earns my skepticism. Instead we prefer informants that are motivated by patriotic sentiment, compatibility with our ideals, or a more exciting and involved lifestyle than adventuring allows.

Who are the Montezzis?

The nobility of the Montezzi stems from an ancient Cormyrian and Sembian lineage. Jacques and Rinaldo hail from the Stormhorn mountains of Cormyr, where their mother's holdings were. Their grandfather did not produce male heirs. The seventh and eighth in line for title of their holdings, the Montezzi brothers decided instead to make their own fortunes. With a retinue of mercenaries they ventured into the Underdark, thinking to secure vast treasures for themselves. Their mercenaries died, and after weeks of wandering the brothers reached Sanctuary. Since then they have made indelible changes to the balance of power in Lower Sanctuary, but that is another story.

Spellguard Trivia

Why are the Spellguard colors red and black?

Postponed to allow more answers. Please send them to Agent Jacob Noble with a return address so you can be reached if you are correct. Here are some sample answers,

"It's RED for the blood of innocents you've sacrificed and BLACK as the vileness of your souls" "because you're scary" "the colors of Banite hierarchy [...] out with the Spelltyrants!"

Requesting Personal Accounts of Dreams

We go there every night (or what passes for night here)--into the realm of dreams. Time seems to be irrelevant. We may experience all matter of fantastic and unbelievable things that cannot be encompassed in the span of a few hours, perhaps living entire lives. Yet when we awaken the events of the previous night quickly recede into the background as we take on the daily humdrum of our waking lives. What did it all mean? Agent Noble has some theories on dreams and how they relate to a possible "collective conciousness," and to the astral plane, a place rife with latent memories, psychic energy and thoughts. Whether your dream is troublesome or trivial, persistent or otherwise, he asks that you send in a personal account of it. Fabrications of dreams are acceptable as well, as they fall under the province of imagination, which he is also interested in.