Felt's Stand Letter

To the Council of Bluebell,

It was with great concern and dismay that my council and I received the news of your present conflict with Redmoor. While it should of course be the jurisdiction of each town to oversee the business of its own internal affairs, certain greater threats do at times require the intervention of neighboring areas. The subversion of Redmoor's elected town council by sorcery is surely sufficient justification for any steps deemed necessary by your esteemed personages, both in defense of Bluebell and toward re-establishing the rightful government of Redmoor.  It is a pity that in times of uncertainty, when unity is most called for among the peoples of the Freemarches, there would be some who would refuse aid to combat a direct threat. More reprehensible still are those who would willfully ignore the facts of the situation in order to question your motives and score cheap political points.

Despite the historical differences between our peoples, rest assured that we of Felt's Stand are not among such scoundrels. Our own town was founded in conflict against necromantic powers, and so perhaps your cause finds a more sympathetic ear here than with your more mercantile neighbors. The stout defense of our walls is a value engrained into every Feltstander from the day he is old enough to watch his father at drill on the practice yards. Regrettably, it is not possible for us to dispatch our own forces to your aid at this time, due to the likely reaction of your fellow Freemarchers to having a 'foreign' army transiting through their territory. I am certain your esteemed personages understand the political consternation such a movement would cause.

I can, however, seek to investigate the concerning presence of Horned military officers among the forces encountered around Redmoor. While we of Felt's Stand are loath to permit our own soldiery from acting as mercenaries in times of peace, the same cannot be said of others within the Hunter's Realm. Because Feltstander scouts are supplied to the Horned King's armies on an extended basis, they too may be found among such mercenary companies as part of their periods of service. With your permission, I can begin inquiries as to with whom these particular warriors are affiliated. I may even be able to convince them to rescind their current contract in the interest of peaceful relations between our Kingdom and the Freemarches.

Such diplomatic methods are often too slow to keep up with the changing fortunes of battle, however, and the broad desire for good relations is clearly subordinate to the immediate needs of leading an army. If violence comes to these Horned officers, or even to their Feltstander scouts, I assure you that it will not be considered representative of the intentions of Bluebell towards our continued cooperation.

Respectfully,
Rourn Wormwood, Lord of Felt's Stand