The letter is stained, and though penned with good wordsmanship, appears lacking in presentation and appearance,

Esteemed Faenor,

You do not know me, but I have read two of your missives regarding the deaths of both Akevitt and Gimball. Though I did not know them either, I was involved with the efforts to defend Sanctuary that evening, and am aware and sympathetic to your plight.

I write to you on the matter of one Magnus. This happens to be a dwarf, stouter than most, I would say, who dresses in stock Grunstubhle goods, and has a golden axe that appears to glow. Yestereve, he was involved in an event in which he barged into a religious ceremony - specifically, the raising of a fallen warrior - inside the temple of Ibrandul, and demanded coin from those gathered, which had supposedly been withheld from him, and was the payment for a previous job.

Those gathered were very aggravated by this death, and were more interested in seeing the person nursed back to full health than hearing words that bordered extortion. Most replies from their part were uncouth, true, but there were apologies made. Magnus appeared to believe somebody was stealing from him, and was quick to draw the aforementioned axe.

I asked that he lower it, as it is my job and duty both to see that Lower is kept safe. He spat unkind words upon this autority, granted by the Council, no less, and walked away after insulting me. I informed him that what he had committed could be construed as a minor crime, and kindly asked him to withdraw the comment. He refused, instead throwing yet more insults, so I asked those gathered to down him, so I could properly fine him for his insolence.

They succeeded in downing him, but eventually he drank a potion of invisibility and I decided chasing was folly. He went upstairs to report this entirely lawful incident - at least on my part, and of those gathered - to the Watch, in hopes they would run to the Council, as they always do, and claim foul murder on the part of the Tigereyes.

Though he did not wear the Stoutheart regalia, I would ask that you admonish him greatly and send him my way so I could charge a fine for the mess he caused in Lower, and berate him myself. Orderly behavior is a necessity of life, even moreso when we are beset by such horrible dangers in the Underdark.

See that you admonish this dwarf greatly if he is a member of your clan. We could discuss donations to the fund focusing on the raise of Akevitt and Gimball at a later time, I am sure.

- Mercenary Nogueyra Tigereye Fortress

Mistress Nogueyra,

Thank you for your professionalism and the effort it took to inform the Elders of the Clan of the events which transpired as you saw them. I do not know this kinsman well, and have not spoken to him concerning the incident although he did leave a message to his kinsman with his version of the events that you describe.

As acting liason to the Thane of Clan Stoutheart, Gloinar Runehammer, I must assure you that this matter is of utmost importance to the Elders of the Clan. Clan Stoutheart prides itself on being solid citizens and being able to contribute to the well-being of the society in which it inhabits.

We will certainly deal with your charges against my kinsman in accordance to both Clan and Santuary Law. As soon as we are able to do so, I will inform you of our findings and of our appropriate action with our kinsman.

We Stouts tend to put each other first, and to be honest with you, the Clan has had negative dealings with the Tigereyes in the past. Elders of the Clan that were present before I escaped from my Duergar masters, inform me that members of your organization has shown extreme bias in its dealings with our Clan in the past.

Our previous Thane, a Stout named Wulgar Badgerbeard that I did not have the pleasure to meet, was reportedly targeted and framed for a trumped up charge of some sort by members of your organization. And upon violation of this sentence while performing duties for the Seekers of which he was a member of, this good Stout was apprehended. His protestations of innocence and his outrage eneded up in his execution by the laws of this Town.

One Namli, a Duergar of ruthless mien, stalked, beat and robbed several of our members in the Grunstubble mines outside of the town and near our Clanhome. With the aid of powerful magics, he dispatched two strong warriors of the Clan including Akevitt Anvilsmasher, a holy crusader of Moradin and their battlepriest with ease. All in view of the Grunstubble miners who were then bribed to remain silent.

Reports to the Watch, although assuring our Clan of justice in the matter, bore no fruit.

I ask you Mistress, and I apologize if I do not address you with the proper title that your rank deserves, what is the current status of the Duergar Tigereye Mercenary named Namli? And what is your organization's official policy concerning reprimanding its members that violently assault the members of this town that you are legally bound to protect? Due to the strong racial hatred for the Shield Dwarf People that he openly stated numerous times ?

And for that matter, can you be regarded by our Council as an ambassador of good will between your Mercenary Company and Clan Stoutheart?

I hesitate to turn over my kinsman on the word of a member of an organization that harbors thugs that are allowed to perpetuate hate crimes on members of other races and then hide behind the very laws that they have been sworn to uphold and have clearly violated.

Mistress, I consider myself a law-abiding citizen and will be more than happy to enforce the laws of Sanctuary if indeed we are fully satisfied that they have been violated. Your response will help me to decide whether these laws are indeed just and fairly implemented, or are merely the whimsical edicts used by those in power to oppress those who are not.

Of course, I would like a written account of all others present, including the Grumbarite Priest that witnessed the incident, to help the Stoutheart Council of Elders be fully informed and armed with the necessary knowledge to take the proper course of action.

We Stouts are law-abiding folk, but with all respect it is difficult to hand over our kinsman on the word of a single member of an organization which has made no efforts to restrict the unlawflul attacks of its members upon our kinsman. If he has indeed been punished for those acts, those of the Clan will look much more favorably on the Tigereyes.

I do thank you for informing us of this incident instead of mobbing him and physically beating him into unconsciousness or to death again. In the future, I'd hope that you could convey similar complaints to our Council without resorting to such brutality, and rest assured that we will be cooperative in demanding that our clansmen follow the laws of Sanctuary if they have in fact violated them.

I will see to this matter at once, but must confess that I am disappointed that the meritorious service of Akevitt and Gimball to the defense of our town does not warrant a contribution to their revival on its own merit. I would hope that it shouldn't depend on how we handle the impolite behavior and a minor transgression of one of our members.

Faenor Rollo Stoneshield Acting Liason to the Thane High Priest of Clan Stoutheart Tornbeard Hall Grunstubble Mines

A reply is sent,

Faenor Stoneshield,

Firstly, I must say that your judgment that I attached a possible contribution to the fund for the return of Gimball and Akevitt as a corollary of your punishment of this Magnus is nothing short of absurd, perhaps outrageous. As my letter states, discussion on the matter of a donation will be carried on at a later date, and that is that.

The Tigereye Mercenary Namli is no more. That said, I must also say that your a priori judgment of my character and inclinations based on the actions of a previous member of my Company also falls just short of outrageous. As you have your own account of Wulgar Badgerbeard's actions, so do I, and I must confess that it paints him in a rather unbecoming light.

This is the time to put such past altercations behind us, and focus on the problem at hand. A member of your clan insulted the law and order of Sanctuary that you and your peers purportedly love and defend. If that is so, then we must meet soon and discuss reparations and appropriate sanctions of the member in question, to ensure this does not happen again. As you have asked of me, reports of the onlookers will be provided, though I must stress that the incident took place in Lower Sanctuary, just outside of the shrine of Ibrandul, and no Priests of Grumbar were present. Had this incident taken place in Upper Sanctuary, I would, then, of course, be quite out of my purview to punish anyone's misconduct towards the law and order of Sanctuary.

We must meet soon to discuss reparations. Your idea of a possible liason of goodwill between our respective organizations is one I will submit to further thought and analysis.

- Mercenary Nogueyra

PS: The appropriate treatment form for somebody of my rank and position would be, "Mercenary", though I accept to be treated as "Nogueyra" in any letters you should write to my person in the future.

Mercenary Nogueyra,

I apologize for my seemingly false assessment of your motivations. And I did misread that the raising was done by a priest of Grumbar. I was unaware of any others in this vicinity that could perform such a wondroud miracle. Where is this shrine to Ibrandul so that I may pay my respects to such holy persons so powerful in the faith of their patron?

Would it be possible for the priest performing the holy ritual or an accompanying member of the Ibrandulite priest that was present to write a summary of these events?

I am troubled to hear that the name Wulgar Badgerbeard is seen in a different light by some, but such is the nature of different perspectives by different persons. I hope that my faith will help me to be a Stout of which there is no questioning of my virtue and good nature.

Hopefullly my faulty interpration of your priorities will not influence your contribution to the revival of the noble Heroes of Sanctuary or tarnish their shining example of self-sacrifice.

I am content to hear that this member of your organization is not in a position to persecute us further, and completely agree that neither of us should judge each other's character based on the prior actions of other member's of our organizations. Yet doubt remained as to your Company's view or even intent in its dealings with Clan Stoutheart.

I have already notified the Thane of this charge, and rest assured that Stout justice is swift and certain. It is not in my power to personally command this member of my Clan to pay this fine, but if the evidence supports your charge to the satisfaction of the Council, the fine will be paid and apologies from this individual or the Clan itself will be forthcoming.

Faenor Rollo Stoneshield Acting Liason to the Thane High Priest of Clan Stoutheart Tornbeard Hall Grunstubble Mines

Mercenary Nogueyra,

I have some questions to ask you concerning the incident, if you would be so kind...

Did you or any other member of the Watch, Spellguard, Civil Defense League, your mercenary company or any other organization lisenced by the town of Sanctuary verbally indentify yourself as belonging to that organization?

Did this incident take place within the town proper, or outside its gates?

Is the Tigereye Mercenary Company lisenced to deputize private citizens on the spot to physically assualt other citizens for similar minor infractions such as refusing to sheathe a weapon? What other organizations are legally allowed to supervise citzen vs. citizen beatings?

Thank you for your efforts, rest assured that we are working with haste to correctly respond to your request to address this matter with our clansman.

Faenor Rollo Stoneshield Liason to the Thane High Priest of Clan Stoutheart Tornbeard Hall Grunstubble Mines

Mistress Nogueyra,

I have been interrogating Magnus Thunderk concerning the incident you contacted me about, and would like to know what section of Sanctuary Law you are claiming that my kinsman violated. At this time, it does not appear that he has commited any crime, minor or otherwise. According to your report, at no time did you charge him with a crime during this incident, nor did you clearly list one in your entreaty to me to "discipline him".

I also find it troubling that you are fully aware that you had the means to send me a letter concerning the reportedly improper behavior of my clansman, yet felt the need to attempt to beat him into submission because he had in your opinion, been disrespectful to you.

Referring to your original report:

Yestereve, he was involved in an event in which he barged into a religious ceremony - specifically, the raising of a fallen warrior - inside the temple of Ibrandul, and demanded coin from those gathered, which had supposedly been withheld from him, and was the payment for a previous job.

Those gathered were very aggravated by this death, and were more interested in seeing the person nursed back to full health than hearing words that bordered extortion. Most replies from their part were uncouth, true, but there were apologies made. Magnus appeared to believe somebody was stealing from him, and was quick to draw the aforementioned axe.

I asked that he lower it, as it is my job and duty both to see that Lower is kept safe. He spat unkind words upon this autority, granted by the Council, no less, and walked away after insulting me. I informed him that what he had committed could be construed as a minor crime, and kindly asked him to withdraw the comment. He refused, instead throwing yet more insults, so I asked those gathered to down him, so I could properly fine him for his insolence.

My initial analysis of this, before I present this to the Council is as follows.

Magnus Thunderk journeyed with members of your band, and was not paid a fair share, or any share at all from a reward given for completing a job in which he assisted.

Upon confronting the members of this band concerning the share of gold that he had fairly earned, he was told to attempt to copulate with himself, which is impossible due to dwarven anatomy and the location of our reproductive organs and other orifices necessary to complete this suggestion. Apparently human male anatomy makes this possible, although I have not had the opportunity nor the desire to discover what those differences may be.

After these insults, which you have admitted yourself, from these individuals that you have yet to reveal or to forward me their accounts of the incident in question, they still refused to give Magnus the gold that he had earned upon entering an implied verbal agreement to complete the mission and to share the proceeds.

At this time, Magnus drew his weapon in anger, but did not attack anyone. You told him to lower it, which he apparently did as you made no mention of it in your account of the incident. He then returned the insults that he claimed you also engaged in, and left.

You then instructed a gang of citizens, not part of any organization that is legally able to enforce the laws of Sanctuary, to physically assault Magnus as he was leaving and had obeyed your order, albeit in a disrespectful way.

At no time did you fine him or charge him with any crime. At no time did he refuse to follow your orders. At no time did he initiate a physical altercation with anyone present.

Yet you saw the need to have others assault and batter this citizen from behind as he left the situation as you ordered. Magnus then realized that he was badly overpowered and outnumbered, did not attack these other citizens, and fearing for his life drank a potion that allowed him to escape the brutal beating that was being administered that very probably would lead to his death.

If this summary is incorrect in any way, I look forward to hearing your official response.

IT is most troubling that your style of enforcing the law involves physical abuse first, and diplomatic means such as your contacting Magnus Thunderk's kinsman in this letter as an afterthought.

I would be fascinated to know why you did not attempt to fine my kinsman, and then contact us if he refused due to having insufficient funds to cover the fine at that time, ironically because of the withholding of monies earned by your comrades. And instead of questioning these individuals concerning whether they had in fact cheated my kinsman, you chose to focus your authority on a dwarf who at worst from the information available to me at this time, commited a misdemeanor when he drew his weapon.

Faenor Stoneshield,

Your clansman Magnus drew a weapon inside the Temple of Ibrandul, to extort coin which no one present possessed, concerning his participation in an earlier contract. This was done during a sacred ceremony, which he interrupted, and could have easily been taken up afterwards, in a more civil and respectful fashion.

Several accounts corroborate this. The Bloodreaver Skret and a few of the others who were present have passed away, since, but others were at the scene, and, provided I may track them down, could testify to what happened.

By drawing a weapon, refusing to withdraw after being asked to by myself and several others, due to the sensitive nature of the situation, and by insulting both the temple and myself, Magnus committed the crime of being a public nuisance. He was fined immediately. When he refused to pay it, I asked that Skret help me with subduing him, as I had all of the deceased's gear in my hands and would have surely been bested, had I attempted.

I was well within my purview and duty to do what I did. Any testimony suggesting otherwise will be challenged by the witnesses I shall present a possible court with.

- Nogueyra

Mercenary,

I am perplexed to see that your latest letter has a very different account of the incident than your initial one. I had very nearly completed my investigation, and had nearly decided whether it had enough substantiation to present to the Circle of Elders as we require to bring up our kinsman on these charges.

After doing some background research about Sanctuary Law, the Tigereye Mercenary Company, and your legal history, I was surprised to see that you were recently convicted of crimes similar to what my kinsman claimed you had inflicted upon him.

And unfortunately, you have yet to provide me any names of witnesses of this incident, nor have you provided any written statements from these witnesses as well. I find it impossible to even begin formal charges for this account lackign that evidence.

I myself in my investigations have discovered a witness of the altercation and that person's account varies significantly from both versions that you have described in your letters.

At this time, barring any other evidence than the gradually metamorphising tale from a person convicted of breaking the very laws that they are sworn and even paid to defend, I must inform you that Clan Stoutheart will not be taking any disciplinary measures against our kinsman.

Furthermore, I would like to formally request that you or another representative of Sanctuary would send a letter to our Clanhome if you do indeed intend to pursue prosecution of Magnus Thunderk for the alleged crimes. It may be more fun for you to conscript the nearest thugs to physically assault and batter the accused, but after your latest conviction, I would suggest that it is likely not in the best interestes for your continued career as a law enforcement official.

If we do receive such a communication, you have my word that we will ensure that the accused will appear at this trial. We Stouthearts are proud of our recent record of being law-abiding, productive citzens with a clear criminal record.

Faenor,

I was acquitted from these supposed 'charges', on all counts. I can't help if the Company's reputation follows me. I had nothing to do with any of this.

Enough with this chatter over mail. We will meet, sit down, and discuss this, or it will be discussed no further. You obviously have incorrect and slanderous information at your disposal and have been unable to formulate an appropriate picture of the situation at hand, therefore resorting to sarcasm to patch the holes in your knowledge of the case and mine own person.

- Nogueyra