Devrik sat in his study and contemplated the blank page on the desk before him.

It was a fine piece of parchment, thick and creamy, one of a folio he had purchased the day before from Bartum Hosath, the high-end scribe with the small but elegant shop in the Flames Court Market. During that same visit he had also acquired a very, very expensive bottle of the man’s signature red-gold ink, three black swan quills and some red sealing wax.

He had been trying to put them to use for the last hour. Although, to be honest, he had really been composing this letter in his head for several months now. He needed to get this just right.

With an explosive sigh and a decisive nod of his head, Devrik picked up one of the quills, dipped it in the open bottle of ink, and began to write…

To Equar Brandis Nordaka, Equestrian of the Kildoran Republic
From Ser Devrik Askalan, Knight of the Order of the Silvereye

Greetings Father,

I trust the Lady of Luck has been as kind to you as she has been to me, and that this missive finds you in good health, and also your lady wife an my half-brother Ernell. Have the on-going troubles with the Firilani been resolved, or at least contained enough for construction of the road through the Chevan Gap to be begun? It is a matter dear to your heart, I know.

For myself, my travels since leaving Kerig have brought me to Nolkior, a kingdom I have found to be a most forthright land. Her rulers strive to see their goals of peace and prosperity accomplished through diligent effort and wise counsel – and to reward those who have proven themselves, in not only word but in deed, in the service of those goals.

Though I first came to the attention of His Grace, Lord Clarin, the Earl Kinen, for heroically exposing and capturing a traitor within his own ranks, aided by true friends, my alien birth prevented him from bestowing on me the honors his noble mind felt befitted my actions and my loyalty. Nevertheless, I was pleased above all else simply to be recognized for those actions. I was equally pleased to see my friends rewarded for our concerted efforts.

Fortunately, I have always believed that good deeds are their own reward. Having continued to act in good faith, I am immensely honored to inform you that none other than His Highness, King Maldan I has adopted me as a son of Nolkior and elevated me to a Knighthood, a title which stands side by side with the Kildoran Equestrian, and granted me lands and income to support my family.<

Yes, I am married, Father… to Raven Askalan, a gorgeous woman of the Rethmani tribes of the Pelon Delta, unbridled by the persnickety conventions of “civilized” society. She is a steadfast warrior, true of heart, and though we are forced to spend time apart on occasion, we always reunite with great joy and love. Our greatest blessing (so far) arrived this winter – my son, your grandson, Aldari Rethma Askalan.

The child has already been through a harrowing adventure, courtesy of Kirdik Hanol, the deranged Korönian you inflicted on me in my youth. He has attempted to corrupt me for years, but I am please to say that his insane views of Fire Magic no longer pollute the world. In place of his mad ideology I have been instructed by an Immortal Himself, Kalos, in understanding the true nature of Fire and how it can be used for good, as a great benefit to the world.

I look forward to the day when I will be able instruct my son and induct him into the Yalvan mysteries… truth be told, I think his abilities will be even greater than mine. Nothing would please me more than to have a son who exceeds the expectations and accomplishments of his father.

Your Son, in common bond,
Ser Devrik Askalan,
This 20th day of  Metisto, in the 3019 year of the Salatasic Reckoning

Setting down the pen, Devrik picked up the sheet and read it over. Yes, this was just about perfect… let his father make of it what he would. He sprinkled sand over the page, shook it off, folded it and dropped a blob of hot red wax onto the back. His personal seal, delivered from the old jeweler on Filagree Street just this morning, pressed his new coat-of-arms deep and clear.

As he turned the epistle over and began to write the address on the front, Devrik wondered, not for the first time, what he expected from his father… or, in truth, what he even wanted from the man. He wasn’t sure he really knew… perhaps his reply, if there was one, would clarify the issue…