To Her Majesty, etc.:

When I was a commander in Mendev, I encouraged my subordinates to bring me ideas, however strange they might seem or despite them only seeing part of the picture. I write to you in this spirit, knowing the situation in neither depth nor breadth. I have but heard rumors, of people who you have likely met and taken the measure of. I will unwaveringly support whatever path you choose to take.

I should also make clear my loyalties, first to the gods of Good and next to the realm of Cheliax; I do not write this at the direction of the Lord Protector of Molthune, nor have I taken any bribes from him, as it seems others in the government may have.

As the gods have their different portfolios, so too men have their different talents, and so are well or poorly suited to the many responsibilities of government. The Lord Protector seems to have failed as an administrator of territory and protector of civilians and their peaceful prosperity, but I have not heard that the army of Molthune is deficient, and the winds of war have blown clear the upper echelons of Cheliax's army. As much as nations may hope that men serve their homeland or abstract ideals, I have always found the backbone of armies to be the personal loyalties of men to each other. Even if you may behead a snake with a single blow, you will rarely find yourself able to thereafter dance with its body.

I invite you to consider appointing Ferran Nefol y Artegas as a senior figure in the ministry of war, and perhaps even commander of all royal armies in Cheliax, while appointing another to the Archduchy of Molthune, who may be able to quell the civil war raging throughout the province.

I assume that Cheliax will have a Spell Lord capable of detecting and curbing any ambitions he has to become a lich, and also that the archmage Naima is willing to reincarnate him. With his advanced age washed away, his personal situation secured, and watchful eyes placed over him, he may abandon those dark ambitions, and instead focus his energies on integrating the armies of Molthune and Cheliax, and reforging the latter into a truly effective fighting force for the next time the world needs it. Men are shaped by their environments, and the best leadership can find a place to bring out the best of any man.

I say this from a distance. His personal character may be totally unfit for such a role, or he may have betrayed you or the archmages in a manner difficult to forgive. But on Sarenrae's high holy day, I will write of the potential for all thinking beings to change for the better. With a second life he may redeem the sins of his first life; with the joyous obedience and peaceful reintegration of a former territory Avistan may breathe a sigh of relief and hope for further peace.

Your humble servant,

Duke de Fraga ◬