A letter Home 3 - The Goblin Fort

Dear Father,
 
I have returned to civilisation and am safe. I... I wish I was home, amongst family. We went to an old fort, but it was filled not just with goblins and the events have... The events that have transpired, though the tears have stopped I am left cold... A little shocked perhaps. One of the people we travelled with... Eringras... died. I was able to heal him for sometime, but we were overwhelmed in those dark cold corridors. It was beyond my power to return him to health. You so carefully shielded me from the world... although I knew the person for such a short time... It left me feeling hollow. I tried to make this right, it was my fault I couldn't restore him to health. At any cost, I managed to with some persuasion get us back to appropriate civilisation. Our group has a monk of sorts, or rather I assume he is a monk named Leo. At very least a person of the cloth for Ilmater... He put out feelers and managed to come to an arrangement to secure the fallen mans resurrection. It came at the cost of a favour of him by the clerics of Tyr and gold... I could not conscionably leave him to bare the burden alone so shall help him gladly to make this all right once more. I am sure you would agree with me that, I have to do the right thing in this situation.
 
Our travels were a pyrrhic success at best, no weight in gold or artefact of knowledge is worth its trade in life. There was however success. We removed the threat of goblins to the lands and managed to secure artefacts of some worth. I sadly neither have the gold or influence to yet have items sent to the Araluen Library. I can't ask you or the library itself yet to fund such acquisitions, as surely if you found out the connections you would force my return to the safety of the palace. It is a shame truly, as it meant these people I am with... especially our snake of a guide sold a rather valuable crown indiscriminately. It was of great historic value belonging to one of the tribes before even the empire existed.
 
I must say though, I was greatly disgusted in this journey. The charlatan of a guide, so bereft of morals duped us. This was not just facing goblins, but in ulterior motives of Trastame he robbed graves. I had no part in it myself, I tried my best to dissuade the others. Some members such as Leo had reservations equal to mine, but there were others of the party who only care were the next piece of gold is coming from. They disturbed many a grave and the dead came rising, which I helped to lay to rest. At the height of this, I could sense the evil of the place. It was almost tangible for sometime I wished to be quite sick. Then rather before we knew it, the greedy members of the party disturbed an ancient evil... So foolish were they that on reading a scrawled sign that says we sealed an ancient evil in here did they go looking for it. So desperate for gold. The great evil, turned out to be a person by the name of Jan Hasek.... Perhaps you know of him father or perhaps there is something on him in the library. He most certainly was not dead or rather had become beyond death.... The lead lining encasing his tomb had worn away and with assistance from the foolish sell swords did he become truly free. It broken into their minds, like they were open doors and caused them such ill health.
 
There was a moment... So cold... It ... The creature Hasek grabbed my shoulder... I surely thought my bones would break as I was hurled in the air like a doll... like its play thing. I'm not sure if it was my terror or the fact of my proximity to something so purely evil.... So deep did I draw from the well of pure energy within me that I struck it with radiant energies until it was dust. In such moments it gave me great confidence and should give you confidence father, that I can keep myself relatively safe.
 
I desperately need your advice.. A moral dilemma, I am unable to balance. There was a Ghoul.... It is unnatural for undead things to exist, but at the same time it meant no harm. I wanted to show it mercy, yet at the same time people wished to kill it for being dead. If something is peaceful and causes no harm... Who are we to say if the life it is given is evil and that we should pass judgement to take it. It was sentient not mindless. I managed to persuade the others to leave it be and go to freedom. They then tried to make me lose sleep, by saying it would come back to eat us all in the night. Was showing mercy the right thing to do? Many who deserve to live are deprived of the opportunity and many who probably should not exist on for aeons.... The wisest and even diviners like aunty Isiel cannot see all ends or parts to play... I could hardly be eager for the death of something , let alone something absence of evidence of guilt.
 
In the end we defeated a significant tribe of goblins. So there is some success. They won't trouble the area or surrounding settlements to the old fort. Most of all I am grateful to part ways with our repulsive guide.... I doubt his words ever rang true. There were times I felt he meant us ill. So vile was he and desperate for gold he would have attempted to manipulate even the poverty stricken from their meagre belongings. I mean Trastame Gomacksus was so desperate for gold that at the slight hint of gold from a party member, he sealed himself in the goblin latrine room and dived into the filth.
 
This has cheered me up writing to you. Writing out the affairs that occurred appears to have been cathartic and given me some peace. I do feel a lot better excuse any tear smudges. After all no one has truly died, I have to remind myself of this as we will have Eringras resurrected by the clerics of Tyr.
 
It is a little terrifying facing mortality, but I am still very committed father to proving my worth to you. I can be worldly and not just be born of the right to rule, but be worthy of it in your eyes.
You are probably aware that I have the amulet preventing divination upon me. I will return it to the Araluen library at the appropriate time.
Know appropriate arrangements are made.... If I should fall.... I have instructed people close to me to remove the amulet then you will be able to find me again. If I can't be restored at least you will have peace.
I know you won't stop searching for me, until you can bring me home. So until... I can prove myself enough that you will trust in me I shall keep wearing the amulet.
 
My love to you and the rest of the family. I truly cannot wait to see you all again.
 
Sincerely
 
Sophia