[The rolltop desk in Jacob's room is crammed with papers and letters in the stacked compartments. The desktop surface is clear by contrast, save for two papers. This one has scribbled in the margin, 'third newsletter, version one.' Curiously it is dated Alturiak 12th, several days from its writing.]

Hello again, gentle Sanctuarian reader. I don't suppose you were expecting me? Very good, everything is in order. We have been receiving a lot of letters lately from people asking what the Spellguard is up to, especially given all the scuttlebutt about the Glorious War of Patriotic Righteousness Against the Evil Tyranny of Montezzi that is beginning. Normally the responsibility for answering such questions would fall to someone in an official position of authority, such as a diplomat or spokesperson. But I guess the reason why people look to me instead is that in addition to being an Agent, I strive to offer complete objectivity in my reporting. Most inhabitants of Sanctuary have some sort of agenda because they want one side or the other to prevail, and their bias is reflected in conversations you might have with them. I, too, want someone to win--like all of the Order, I recognize that Montezzi must be destroyed--but I am unbiased because rather than speaking from a "perspective," I simply tell it like it is.

I don't think it's any secret that the average citizen has felt a disconnection with their government as of late. Engaging in the preparations we've been involved in is draining and "doing" is a lot easier than endlessly circling back to discuss things. This is something that is primary on my list of agenda items to rectify. We cannot expect people to show up and aid us without reason and without showing a commitment to match if not exceed their sacrifices and expectations. I am working now with our directorate to ensure that we are engaged directly.

Your actions and your commitment is the baseline I will use to judge myself and will be the very basis of our ongoing involvement. I believe it is important to finish the Montezzis. I believe that we really don't have a choice in the matter. I also believe that we can achieve this goal but we need every single one of you with us to get it done. It makes sense to me to remind you that we are not engaged in a war of aggression against Montezzi, chosen by us. We are engaged on a mission of defense that has spanned a large portion of the city and multiple allegiances. We fight them because if we walk away, they will rebuild and hit us again and again. The difference between we and Rinaldo is not just a thousand years in creed, morality and propensity towards butchering his own people. The main difference is he needs to lie to his people and motivate them with fear to make them work for him on a daily basis and we want to do what you want to do, regardless of whether it's difficult or inconvenient. I'm not going to tell you that the Montezzis are dead. There's still a lot of hard work to be done to finish that job. What I am going to say is that they're vulnerable more than they ever have been in the past. If we lack the fortitude to finish the job now, they will rebuild and it will take that much more work to put them down. We will need every single one of you there with us to do it and that is not so much a rallying cry as it is a simple statement of fact.

All political careers end in failure, the Waterdhavian maxim goes, and here we are. Something went horribly wrong, as is unsurprising given what we had to work with in recent days. Allow me to shed more light on what has been occurring behind the scenes, as I believe the work of an Agent is important enough to proceed even beyond his death.

Rinaldo, Jacques and I arrived in Sanctuary at around the same time, days apart from each other, at the most. When I first saw them in the Crone, I could dimly perceive that they were destined for greatness. Apparent from the first time we worked together, fate would set us against each other. A week later, House Montezzi was formed, and they continually offered me the position of Court Wizard. I politely refused indicating a future career in the Order. The road not taken turned out to be fraught with danger, as a week after my acceptance into the Spellguard, House Montezzi clashed with the Seekers. I am not well suited to thrive in the harsh climes of Lower Sanctuary, and have no doubt that if I were one of the Montezzi Court at the time I would have been killed by the Seekers, and nobody would have cared.

Shortly after the Montezzis had prevailed over the Seekers, began a hidden arms race between us and them. They gathered ever more numbers, vast troves of gold and loot, and experience working together. In contrast we had fallen far behind. About twenty days prior to this writing, I learned that Rinaldo had been sending assassins for me. Rinaldo likely knew of my intentions for a week before then. It had never been the Order's plan to genuinely work with the Montezzis, although Agents had to deal with these skull-splittingly stupid accusations every time we left the Tower. The true bag of holding Rinaldo prizes was no mere gift from me, but something I knew would never leave his possession. If Rinaldo were to be killed in my presence, his body would quickly go inside the bag and been presented to the directorate. I strongly suggest you, dear reader, do the same, but keep the bag. I have no doubt that some did provide genuine help to the Montezzis towards the end, as they felt opposing them would have been too difficult. To use a hackneyed expression, the grass is always greener on the other side; perhaps they felt the Montezzis had more to offer. Take it from one who has seen both sides: any amount of gold, any one trinket you can think of, any piece of equipment you have seen in your travels pales in comparison to what has likely been inside the Tower for well over a hundred years, and that is only what a lowly Agent has been privy to. I couldn't elaborate on its nature, not even to others in the Order but it was something many would kill or die for. Your mileage may vary depending on how much they trust you.

To some who may have been wondering about me, there was no cruel or malicious twist to my machinations, or even the Order's machinations. I had long ago concluded that in order to know everything, you must occasionally misrepresent your intentions, withhold information, or otherwise deceive. Information gathering agencies everywhere in Faerun are based on this concept. You cannot make progress by being completely truthful all the time. State secrets are meant to be kept and security is paramount. Ironically others lied to me more than I lied to them, and I never stole from anyone, though wealth seemed to flow easily into my hands. As I don't think anyone innocent has been harmed, save for the beggars in Montezzi fortress who were asking for it, I don't feel the need to apologize. It was a good run and I look forward to seeing you all again, sometime.