Al Qadim
Letter from Husam
(Written by his player, Jaime Matthew. This letter was written after the party (1) failed its first mission, to stop an arsonist, and (2) was betrayed by one of its members, a player character named Tanya, a jannissary whose history involved her having lived undercover with the corsairs for many years. When one of the adventures involved going back to map a route of attack to the corsairs' hidden stronghold, she decided her loyalty to the corsairs was more important than her loyalty to the caliph. Little did she know that the general ordering the mapping was doing so for his own evil purposes; I had expected the party to figure this out during the adventure, but Tanya's actions forestalled their investigation and, indeed, scuttled the adventure. This letter was sent back to Huzuz along with a handful of prisoners and one dead body.)
Bashshar hadi abd al-Jasir—
It pains me to have to report our recent failures, but it is my duty as a janissary of the Dauntless, as a paladin of Kor, and as a loyal servant of the Caliph to share our recent shame with you.
I should probably start with our arrest by the Caliph of Muluk. Hmmm, perhaps that is not a good idea, as I had been occupied at the temple of Kor and joined up with my cohort only just in time to be arrested and held captive at the palace while it burned around us. Although this was the first time I had cause to doubt Tanya's loyalty to the cohort. I do not know why my sister insisted that we claim responsibility for the carpetmaker when the guards came to arrest (and most likely execute) him, but I do know that my place is by the side of Satima and the other members of my cohort - even if that means sharing a cell with them. Our fates are tied together and so should be our ankles. Tanya felt differently and abandoned us to our fate with her Ajami lover Sato.
Our next mission was for the General Adun Abd al-Amin (in chains along with this note). Although it turns out he wanted the mission to fail (I do not understand why a loyal servant of the Caliph would want to do less than his best at all times), the General assigned us to investigate a way in to the port of the Corsairs of Hawa. We did not even have a chance to fail the mission on our own as Tanya (in chains along with this note) and the Ajami Sato (whose body accompanies this note) fled the city to warn the Corsairs of the attack. TANYA BETRAYED THE CALIPH! Or would have, if we hadn't sacrificed the service of our djinni in exchange for a wish that allowed us to catch up with her. I would never have thought such a thing to be possible if I had not witnessed it myself. It is indeed a sad day for the Longsword of Bashshar when we have to send a member of our own to the Caliph for execution. She has no regard for the Law of the Loregiver and her lover even less. She threatened the lands and people of the Grand Caliph—she might as well have been eating sentient flesh!
I should warn you that I am increasingly troubled by Kristen's behavior (not yet in chains along with this note, but perhaps I will write you another note soon). He has not yet been caught eating sentient flesh, but he embarrassed the cohort in front of the Caliph of Muluk, and has become fixated with the mannerisms of the dead Ajami Sato. I fear that he too will forget the Law of the Loregiver and turn his back on all enlightened beings.
I pray to Kor that I am wrong. He doesn't answer. The priests say that I will have to learn for myself. Wouldn't it be simpler if he just told me?
Your humble servant,
Husam al Din abd Al-Jasir
(Compare this letter to Serena's letter, written later.)
