Letter to Home, Month of Flames

Father,
 
I appreciated the feedback in your most recent letter. It sounds like Jindis was thorough in his reporting of what happened in the Vexing Jungle, and I was - and still am - uncertain that I made the best decisions I could have. Your reassurance and your suggestions alike were welcome, and I took both to heart.
 
I apologize for the delay in writing since then - I received your letter when I was traveling to Whitehall in Isohara, and so much has happened between then and now. I’m writing this letter from the other side of the continent, actually; we’re leaving the country of Flame now, en route to Bleakspire in Zetrias. I wasn’t able to speak with Liberus Duskwing last time I was there, but I’ve since had time to make a name for myself across the continent. Perhaps that will bolster our chances of gaining an audience and getting answers to our questions about Alumina’s history.
 
We traveled to Flame to bury a friend. Jindis may have spoken of Neon, since she traveled to Cardinal with us after our adventure in the jungle. She was killed in an ambush on our train by a powerful foe who we were fortunately able to fight off. We were not able to recover her body, so I instead suggested we travel to the Archos Valley with her belongings so that she could receive her last rites as well as we could provide them. Now that it’s done, I feel less restless, but not any better. In Cardinal, she told me that she would follow me even if no one else did. It’s been impossible to avoid feeling like I led her to her death.
 
You were the one to tell me that we can never treat those we lead as pawns or necessary sacrifices. That we should feel each loss as if they were family, so that we don’t play games with others’ lives and lose sight of what matters in the name of some perceived ‘greater good.’ Does every death in Varuna’s name weigh on you this heavily? Does the feeling of being responsible for it ever stop keeping you up at night?
 
You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.
 
I’m feeling uneasy, Father. I’ve traveled a lot now, and met many leaders - Rafteraa’s emperors, Isohara’s parliament, two of the genasi cultural heads, and soon King Liberus as well, if Persana wills it. In Flame, we fought a vampire who was taking advantage of the existing resentment against Rafteraa to create an army of his own. His manipulation of his people to feed into his own aims has me thinking about leadership. You’ll remember that the former emperor L’Opula of Rafteraa was willing to utilize existing tensions in the same way, framing a fire genasi and planning to frame a group of outsiders as well. Too many leaders here see commoners as a resource for their own gains, or worse - as an obstacle. I’ve seen manipulation in the vampire’s lair, paranoia in Rafteraa, and isolation in Isohara. I’m not sure I believe that the landwalkers here truly understand the responsibilities of ruling.
 
But some of them do, and that’s where I find myself uncertain. The best leaders I’ve found here on Alumina have been the genasi cultural heads - the earth genasi Xha of Garth and the fire genasi Arynn of Flame. They live among the people they lead, hearing their concerns and supporting them directly in their trials. When we went to visit Arynn, we found that she holds an audience with each of her people for problems big and small, and there’s a mutual understanding. There’s harmony. I believe this is the way, but it’s not what we do. In Whitehall, I saw echoes of Varuna - a parliament primarily concerned with itself and its secrets, unwilling to hear the grievances of its commoners even when those grievances were just outside their door. You sent me up here to learn what it means to lead, but everything I’ve seen has told me that we could be doing things differently. We could be doing things better. Was that the point? Was that what you wanted me to see?
 
Did you even know what you wanted me to see?
 
In any case, I’ll tread carefully. We’ve recently heard that Zetrias has allied with Garth and Spirith in an attempt to buffer the growing political and military power of Rafteraa. This suspicion surrounding Rafteraa seems to be a common theme, which wouldn’t concern me so much if one of my companions wasn’t the child of the nation’s newest leader. I’m not sure I would have pushed the issue with Emperor Clareon if I had understood the larger context, but it’s done now. All I can do is try and keep myself and my people out of trouble the best I can.
 
Thank you for continuing to keep me in your thoughts as I keep you and the rest of the family in mine. I’ll be sure to report back on what we uncover in Zetrias. I have a feeling there will be something of interest in a place like this. Until then, be well, Father.
 
With love,
Lylyn