Item B#3012
Tenebria-Primus Office of Knowledge in Tîrgovişte
Clearance Level: Prefect
Headers: Contraband, Insurgence, [REDACTED], [REDACTED]
Intercepted after delivery, by Code Name [REDACTED]
Translated from Vlahian by [REDACTED]
Valerian,
Brother, as much as I miss you and worry for your safety and health, I’ll spare you further flowery emotions in this missive.
It remains a scar on my heart that those Primus bastards so eagerly brought in Tenebrian armies and officials into Vlahia, and I can yet scarcely believe our once so arrogant leaders, House Beryx, bent the knee. But crushing military defeats, as the one after House Primus opened up Constanta to the Masks, can do that to a man. Alexis hails from there, knows well the economy and defenses, and guarantees it would have held for many weeks if not for the House Primus pincer upon it. She sends you her wishes of fortitude, being proud to have a dissident brother in the mountains. Alas, Duke Beryx is coming into his later years, however, and I can only assume he chose shame over suffering. The sacking of Chateau Optatus I bittersweetly lose little sleep over: better to fall as a rogue House than grovel in subservience to bureaucrats to maintain status in a new order. But that is easy to say for me, it’s not I who lost my future Dukedom but you. Not to mention, I could be called a hypocrite.
I’m afraid things are not much better down here in the Midlands. Initially, both my Lordship over Zlatitsa for the Heralds, and the Borovo Vlahian colony they helped us found, were growing steadily in numbers and stability, it wasn’t long before the Dark Empire’s wave also fell upon us here. We couldn’t stop them, and delaying them would have cost valuable lives, before inevitable eventual defeat.
And it was going oh so well, truly, functioning without the heavy trappings of nobility. With Marcellus elected Ban pro temporis of the colony, it forced him to at least in part reform, if only for appearance’s sake. A people pleaser and dealmaker, what he lacks in hard organisation skills is more than made up for by Martin as his right hand and militia chief. Though I still wonder if it’s not Alba’s subtle contribution in their council that ensures everyone is fed and cared for.
We placate the usurpers as well as we can, diplomatically feigning collaboration, but Nova Vlahian Borovo and Herald Zlatitsa are both strangled by their rule. Maybe other nations and clans more easily adapt to Tenebran ways, but people in both these lands yearn for true freedom even more than for welfare.
I know that surviving in the Carpathians is a challenge in itself, let alone shadow-action against the Empire, but if there’s anyone at all you can spare, do send them. Should the worst happen, Nova Vlahia may be Vlahia’s only future. We’re still awaiting Stefan’s return from his last deep hunt of the otherworldly so that he may aid us in what’s to come.
Keep safe. Know that we can ensure your passage and hiding here if it becomes needed.
Not least, forget not to thank Paulus for delivering this missive. Few have the bravery, determination and discretion to make such dangerous deliveries in this troubled time. Know too that he would not have achieved this without Professor Manius’ help in thinning the fog at secret Danube crossing-places.
I too survive, as does my spirit obscured from the Masks, until it may exact liberation and vengeance.
[REDACTED] those bastards. Give them hell.
Nova Vlahia, In Tabula
-V.