–==Official Submission==–
FROM: Sergeant Major Alexander Rahl
RE: MURDER!!!!

The call came this morning; a panic button signal from
Nicolai originating from his favorite mining spot near the
Dragon’s Lair.
I rushed through the woods to the spot as fast as I could
but I came too late. I found a horribly stabbed Nicolai
laying in a pool of his own blood next to what appeared to
be a landslide by the mountain. I notified the General and
he said he was on his way.
I knelt down beside the old coot and tried to stop the
bleeding from the gashes in his chest to no avail. He
opened his eyes and seemed to recognize me.
He gurgled a bit, trying to speak through lungs flooded
with blood, and after a brief struggle managed to spit out
a mass of bloodied tissue and speak.
“Damn…feller’ jus walked righ up an poked me….” he
mumbled.
“Who?” I asked. It was then that I noticed the feet
sticking out from under the landslide, several tiny
trickles of blood running in rivulets past them out from
under the rock.
Nicolai chuckled and coughed up another mouthful of
blood. “I dropped dat der mountin’ atop ‘im, ” he said with
a bloody grin, “Tew lay’ I’m sure…bu’ I finally bagged me
a baddie.”
I heard the tell-tale sound of a Recall spell, and out from
the Castle rushed my father in his bedclothes, leaning
heavily upon a cane. He dropped and slid up beside his
Cousin, face almost as pale as that of poor Nicloai.
“Ah! M’lerd…” started Nicolai.
“Hush,” my father whispered, crushing reagents in his
fingers and casting healing magics. Nicolai reached up and
grabbed the Old Man’s tunic and puled him close.
“Dinnae bothah, Cousin…it’s my time tis… Did..Did I
dew gewd fer de family M’lord?”
The Old Man let the regs drop from his fingers and let out
a deep sigh.
“Yes indeed Nicolai…Your craftsmanship will last as long
as the rock itself. You have served the House of Turon
well, and we are all proud.”
Nicolai smiled and seemed to relax.
“Naugh as proud as I sir…” Nicolai released my father’s
tunic and offered a salute, which we both returned.
His eyes went dark, his breathing stopped, and the pickaxe
he was gripping tightly in his other hand fell to the
ground.
And thus, Nicolai Turon – last of the line of Gustav Turon
and Senechal of the House of Turon, was gone.

Several hours later, word arrived from Vesper that Holle
Uchbdhan, easily the second oldest surviving member of the
Society, wes killed by an unknown assailant while
purchasing crystals for use in our communications system.
Details of the murder and the whereabouts of the assilant
are still unknown.

And finally, less than an hour ago, a chest arrived via
private courier for my father. Upon opening it, his scream
of rage could be heard across all of Northwood. In the
chest was the head of Xavierra Alexis, my mother, with a
bloodied note attached saying more would follow.

The Society is hereby placed on active alert. Restrain
from traveling alone. Any information regarding these
murders should be sent to myself or the General directly.
More information will follow when available.

This blow has struck our very heart, and the noticable lack
of military targets in the list of the dead leaves the
mastermind’s motivations ambiguous. But all of you know
this, when the individual who orchestrated the murders of
my family is found, I want him brought to me. Alive,
healthy, and fully aware of the horrors I will bestow upon
him.

Mstr. Sgt. Alexander Rahl
Operations Commander
The Storm Guard