My Dear Baron,
As planned, I met your daughter Lady Rivanon here in Thalassa. I must tell you I’m very impressed with her skill, knowledge, and her friendliness toward me. Already I feel comfortable calling her friend.
And already she has been indispensable to my visit to the city. I had thought I might need to hire an advocate to help me deal with my uncle’s persistent attempts to have me wed multiple separate parties, but I was surprised to learn Lady Rivanon already had training in the field of advocacy and that she would help me deal with this ongoing issue.
To bring you up to date, it’s worth mentioning that in the end, I allowed a couple hired men bring me to Thalassa despite having thwarted many attempt to kidnap me. Mind you, it was not without some conditions that allowed Magus Dungaroon and I to complete important research, cut the cost of traveling to Thalassa, and allowed me a portion of the bounty the mercenaries would collect upon my delivery to their principle. This turned out to be a Master Donan, who had been determined his son Deniel would marry me. I won’t bore you with details, but suffice to say that with Lady Rivanon’s help, I was able to point out that my uncle had made the same marriage agreements to multiple parties, which essentially invalidated all of them.
Your daughter pointed out that a more permanent solution was still needed, however, and she led me to a bit of research into my own family history. It was in this I learned that there were indeed living members of my mother’s family, and that my grandfather Emmeric, who had legal custody of me after my father’s passing, had made provisions for me in a will that my uncle failed to execute.
Not that I don’t understand Uncle Mazarin’s position. What I didn’t know was that I had a sizable dowry, at least for a Thalassan born on the isle. 220 acres of roughly arable land best used for grazing. There is no family farm there as far as I know, but I can see it has been important to my uncle’s herds. Land is scarce on the isle, I’m sure you know. Apparently, this land was only being held in trust by Uncle Mazarin. He’d been attempting to arrange a marriage in which he could gain ownership of that property.
However, Uncle Mazarin was not supposed to have custody of me. Until I am 21, I was to be in my grandmother’s care. Here is where things get interesting!
My grandmother’s daughters include both my mother Lara, and one named Bella. Bella married an incredibly intelligent man, became a wizard and had a son named Elemix! So it happens not only is Magus Elemix Dungaroon a good friend, he is also my cousin. It was an incredibly positive experience meeting her in person. She was able to tell us about her mother, my grandmother Adelaide.
Mistress Dungaroon has little love for her mother, I’m afraid. It seems Adelaide had always been interested in adventure, travel, and matters of… well, love is the best way to put it. She had less interest in being a mother. This is how my grandfather and she had a bit of a falling out all those years ago. Yet, he always remembered her very fondly. This was why he had wanted her to accept me after he died.
Lady Rivanon is quite well-connected in social circles and was able to tell us she knew the person in question. My grandmother is none other than the Contessa Adela d’Portreaux. Her title is not inherited, of course, and her husband long since passed, but she resides in Thalassa and is quite social. We immediately made arrangements to meet her and it was all really quite brilliant how it came together at one of the Contessa’s private parties.
I was very excited to meet her. Although she made a poor mother to my own mother and to Mistress Dungaroon, and is perhaps not the role model I would emulate, she is nonetheless a fascinating and lovely person to know. She immediately accepted me and further, put in motion the required paperwork for formal adoption.
Lady Rivanon councils caution, and I do understand her concern. I know Contessa Adela is a socialite and might already even have plans of her own. But, upon meeting her, there is something about her I think I understand. I might not have chosen exactly the life she did, but I still liked her the moment we met.
My intentions are to work with Uncle Mazarin, not against him. Those 220 acres my grandfather once gave to Adelaide, the love of his life, then went to my mother and father, Lara and Hoel, will eventually go to me. I intend to continue to lease it to him and more, the Contessa pointed out ways that both my uncle and myself would both profit better from it. Whatever has happened between my uncle and I, he’s still family. I would do what’s right for him as well as for myself.
Research continues regarding the Tyaanite troubles. Back in Breven, a Tyaanite assassin who worked in conjunction with some sort of “messenger” and a bunch of hired thugs attempted to force us to hand over the pieces of that artifact we found in the goblin mines. This did not go well for him or his people as we turned the tables on their ambush, wiped out his allies and forced him to flee. We have since learned much more about this artifact; more on that when we meet in person.
Of greater concern to me are rumors of a hobgoblin threat assembling to the east and south of Uzec. I’m beginning to have a bad feeling about it. Please be as vigilant as ever. At the risk of repeating something you already thought about, I would suggest that should the elves settle near Ceresey soon, one might be willing to scout for any signs of such unrest? I will send a letter to my Steward asking for vigilance and to send a volunteer to you, my Baron.
I will close by saying that Lady Rivanon has advised me I should expect at the very least a debut to be held for me within the next couple weeks. Business will detain me that long in any case, but after that I hope to resume travels in the company of Magus Elemix, Lady Rivanon, and Typhon Né.
Yours in Spirit,
M. Emmeline d’Ceresey