Field Intelligence Dossier
Concerning the Operation call’d the Veiled Needle, at Litran, in Galt.
Particulars.
Agent in the FieldAlain Ballard, Pistolero.
Political PatronCitizen Camilia Drannoch, of the Revolutionary Council of Galt.
National AllegianceAndoran, & the Twilight Talons.
Theatre of OperationsThe City of Litran.
Present PhaseThe gathering of Intelligence, & the laying of Plans.
Of the Marks us’d herein.
ConfirmedDirectly observ’d, or expressly communicated.
ReportedA Statement attributed to a Witness or Informant.
AssessmentOur professional Reading of the Evidence available.
UnverifiedWanting Corroboration, or Confirmation from the Company’s own Notes.
Given at Litran, in the Season of the Harvest Jubilee.
Of the Commission.
Citizen Camilia Drannoch has desir’d our Assistance in enquiring into the Proceedings of the Gray Gardeners at Litran.
Her Intelligence is, that Persons of the first Consequence in their Leadership are now assembling at the Gray Monastery, for a Masquerade at wch many Dignitaries of Galt are expected to attend.
She is persuaded that this Assembly has some Purpose, wch it does not declare.
We are come to Litran to procure a rare Physick of Herbs, for the Illness wch Camilia is publickly reported to suffer.
Camilia is not ill. Her pretended Indisposition furnishes a plausible Reason for employing Agents from abroad, & keeps her at a prudent Distance from the Enquiry.
To discover what the Gray Gardeners intend, to learn the Names of the principal Persons concern’d, & to judge where their Order may be enter’d, or undermin’d.
To keep the whole Affair secret, & to expose neither the Twilight Talons nor Andoran without Necessity.
Camilia’s Mother, Apalma Drannoch, was put to Death by the final Blade call’d Silent Lenore.
Her Opposition to the Gardeners is therefore both politick & personal. Her Judgment must weigh heavily with us, yet her Intelligence must still be verify’d by independent Means.
Of the City of Litran.
Litran is the Seat of the Gray Gardeners. Their fortified Monastery commands the Prospect of the whole City, & its Temper besides.
The Inhabitants are loth to speak freely with Strangers. Open Professions of Loyalty to the Gardeners are no true Measure of real Support.
The Harvest Jubilee has drawn Farmers, Traders & Visitors into the Town from all the Country round.
This Concourse affords Strangers a plausible Cover for entering the City, tho’ it makes it the harder to distinguish Inhabitants from Visitors, & either from Agents in Disguise.
Keznin at first inform’d us that the Masquerade was three Nights distant. We must ascertain how much of that Time is already elaps’d.
Assessment. Publick Gatherings afford Cover to our Business. But Intimidation, or too open a Watch, may draw unwelcome Eyes upon us. Wherever we can, let us go under credible professional Characters, & make use of our establish’d Acquaintance.
Concerning the Informant Keznin Nevarmo.
A Tengu Herbalist, & a Follower of Pharasma.
Soul Mother’s Herbs.
A trusted Correspondent of Citizen Drannoch.
An establish’d friendly Source, with Knowledge of the Town, & a credible Tie to our Cover.
What he has told us.
- The Gray Gardeners give a Masquerade in the great Ballroom of their Monastery, to wch none may come without Invitation.
- Invitations are scarce, & those who hold them seldom make it known.
- More Gray Gardeners appear to be in Litran than is usual.
- Among the new-comers there may be Persons of considerable Authority.
- Rumour says the Gathering will bring some weighty Announcement or Revelation. Its Nature is unknown.
- The Harvest Jubilee draws far more Visitors than the exclusive Masquerade.
Lodging at Soul Mother’s Herbs, & Help with Herbs. Keznin also nam’d the Stalwart Patriot as another Inn.
Of his Worth to us.
Keznin serves us well for religious Knowledge, the Temper of the Town, & Introductions that suit our Cover of Physick.
Assessment. Preserve his Usefulness. Do not expose his Connexion with Camilia without Necessity.
Relation of the Affair at the Mill.
A Flour-Mill under Repair upon the Stormflood River, in the southern Part of Litran.
Word that an Invitation to the Gardeners’ Masquerade might be bought at a Mill then making over into a Dwelling.
Of the Persons met with.
A Banker of the Town, found at Work within the Mill.
Met with at the Place. His Name & Person stand unconfirm’d in this Dossier, unless establish’d hereafter.
Its Appearance as observ’d, & any Identification made in the Fight, to be set down here.
What was learn’d.
Confirmed, by the Circumstance of the Meeting. The Rumour of an Invitation brought our Enquiry to the Mill, where a Gray Gardener was encounter’d.
Reported, or Observed. Calance put three Questions to us.
- Whether we meant to buy an Invitation to the Masquerade.
- Our Purpose in attending it.
- Our Friends & Associates in Litran.
To be verify’d with the Company. Whether Calance seem’d frighted, whether he acted under Duress, & what he explain’d after the Confrontation.
Our Reading of it.
These three Questions are precisely what an Officer set to catch Spies would wish to know of suspected Infiltrators. Their Intention, their Object, & their Network of Support.
The Lead of the Invitation for Sale must therefore be held compromis’d & unreliable.
Assessment. The Affair may have been an Attempt to discover or intercept those who enquire. That Reading agrees with the Encounter, but the Company’s Evidence must decide how much can be establish’d.
What remains to be done.
If Calance surviv’d, & will still speak:
- Establish his Connexion to the Mill, & to the Offer of an Invitation.
- Determine what he in fact knew.
- Record the Questions he put to us, & what we disclos’d.
- Determine whether any others may now know who we are, or what we intend.
Make no use of the Rumour of the Mill Invitation as a Means of Entry, without fresh & independent Evidence.
Relation of the Affair at the Ruin’d Shrine of Pharasma.
An abandon’d Shrine to Pharasma, at Litran.
Unsound in its Structure, long deserted, & held by the Townsfolk an ill Place to visit.
Of the Person concern’d.
An elderly Pharasmin with but one Eye, describ’d by Keznin as a zealous & quarrelsome Man of Religion.
Keznin holds him a Troublemaker, & counsels against trusting his Judgment without Examination.
Nota bene. This records Keznin’s Opinion of Nellibet. It is no Proof of Nellibet’s Guilt, his Allegiance, or his final Intentions.
Of Evidence, in Things & in Writing.
The following are particular Pieces of Evidence to be had within the Shrine. Set them down as Intelligence gain’d only if the Company in truth found them.
Of Witnesses, if they were met.
If we met & knew these two, set down their Account of themselves, & whether Matters turn’d hostile or friendly. Their mere Appearance is no Proof of Allegiance to the Gray Gardeners.
If we question’d the imprison’d Being who goes by this Name, record what she claim’d of the Gardeners & the Masquerade. What a supernatural, & perhaps hostile, Source declares must stand Unverified until corroborated.
If a Body was found, or other seeming Evidence touching Nellibet, record its Condition as observ’d. Assume no Identity without sufficient Proof.
Questions outstanding.
- What was Nellibet watching at the Monastery?
- Do any Notes recover’d support the Possibility of supernatural Doings?
- What did our Witnesses say, & can their Accounts be check’d?
- Can Learning in Religion or Occultism explain the Significance of any thing actually seen?
- Is there Matter that should be preserv’d, or carried to a trusted Specialist?
Our Reading of it.
Assessment. The Enquiry at the Shrine may furnish Intelligence of an occult Side to the Monastery’s Doings.
That Matter must be weigh’d apart from the political Intelligence supplied by Camilia & Keznin.
If the Company found credible Evidence, the Gray Gardeners may pose Dangers beyond common arm’d Men. That Possibility calls for the Preparation of Specialists, not for hasty Conclusion.
What remains to be done.
Reconcile the Company’s Accounts of the Shrine. Examine any Documents already recover’d, & ask our religious Specialist to name the supernatural Observations still unresolv’d.
Do not go back merely to search at random, if the Evidence in hand already suffices.
Relation of the Affair at the People’s Maps.
The People’s Maps, at Litran.
Tristel Liendi.
A Halfling Cartographer.
Political Philosophy, the History of Galt, & cartographical Research.
Of the Nature of her Enquiry.
Tristel has been studying the Movements of the final Blades across Galt, by Maps, & by Intelligence gather’d from Correspondents about the Country.
Her Enquiry concerns Changes in where these Engines of Execution stand, & is no common Map-making.
Particulars given.
Reported by Tristel.
| The Blade | Formerly at | Reported Removal |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp-Tooth Hana | Tregan | Lately brought to Litran, & set up at the Grange Market rather than Crownless Square, the City’s customary Place of Execution. |
| Carmine Nell | Near the Minaret | Reported mov’d back toward Tregan. |
These Removals seem to follow a Pattern she has not yet made out.
Of the Removals consider’d.
Confirmed, as Testimony. Tristel reports that final Blades are being mov’d, among them at least one conspicuous Removal within Litran.
Assessment. That an Engine of Execution should be set up away from its customary Place raises a fair Question as to its intended Use.
Explanations must be tried, not assum’d. The Removal may serve ceremonial, political, logistical or security Ends, or others yet.
To be verify’d with the Company. If any of us studied Tristel’s Maps with Learning in Society, or in some pertinent Lore, set down here the exact Conclusion reach’d. Substitute no Conclusion from beyond our own Knowledge.
Of the Assault.
We fought hostile Forces at the Cartographer’s.
Confirmed. The Fight came while we pursued Intelligence of the final Blades.
Assessment. The Circumstances suggest this Line of Enquiry is dangerous, & may draw hostile Notice. Whom the Attackers meant to strike, & to what End, is not to be held establish’d without Evidence.
To be done forthwith.
- Learn whether Tristel surviv’d, & may still be question’d.
- Preserve or copy any Maps & Notes obtain’d.
- Record every Movement of the Blades that Tristel actually describ’d.
- Confirm whether we learn’d the Significance of where they stand.
- Follow up the reported Removal of Sharp-Tooth Hana to the Grange Market.
Of the three Places enquir’d into, Tristel’s Intelligence gives the most solid Lead upon the Ground, & one we may act on at once.
Summary of the Intelligence, the Whole consider’d together.
The three Enquiries establish several distinct Concerns.
A political Gathering. Camilia & Keznin report an unusual Gathering of Gray Gardener Personnel, & of Guests of Influence, at the Masquerade to come.
Our own Exposure. The Affair at the Mill, & the Violence at the Cartographer’s Shop, shew that Enquiry into the Gardeners may bring us into open Conflict with dangerous Adversaries.
Strange Removals of the final Blades. Tristel has furnish’d particular Movements & Places, wch may be check’d independently.
Possible supernatural Doings. If borne out by what was found at the Shrine, Nellibet’s Observations raise further Questions touching the Visitors to the Gray Monastery.
Working Hypotheses.
The unusual Removals of the final Blades & the Masquerade to come may be connected.
The Doings of the Gray Gardeners reach beyond common Arrests & Executions.
More than one Kind of Danger may be at work, wanting Enquiry both political & occult.
Some of our Methods of Enquiry, or some of our Contacts, may have become visible to hostile Interests.
None of these Hypotheses establishes a secret Plan, nor names a hidden Master-mind.
Plan of Operations. The Scores.
Consolidate the Evidence.
To settle a sure & common Understanding of what we in truth know.
- Compare our Notes from the Mill, the Shrine & the Cartographer.
- Separate what we saw ourselves from the Claims of Informants, & from Conclusions inferr’d.
- Mark the Evidence that may be check’d without exposing the whole Operation.
A short List, agreed among us, of what we yet lack, & one immediate Object.
Paper Trail.
Secure & interpret Tristel’s cartographical Intelligence.
Analytical, & social.
Access to Tristel herself, or to any Maps & Notes we kept.
- Identify the Movements Tristel recorded.
- Ask what Evidence or Sources support each.
- Compare their Destinations with known Landmarks, & the Doings of the Townsfolk.
- Preserve the Results for the Planning to come.
A reliable Account of the Blades’ Movements, & a particular Place to enquire into.
If Tristel or her Papers be wanting, gather Information discreetly about the Movements already reported.
Market Watch.
Enquire into the reported Station of Sharp-Tooth Hana at the Grange Market.
Reconnaissance & Deception, with Stealth if warranted.
Tristel’s Report naming the Market.
- Approach under some ordinary Pretext of the Jubilee.
- Observe the Lay-out of the Market, & its Guard.
- Determine what may be publickly confirm’d of the Blade’s Presence.
- Note any unusual Deliveries, Barriers, Crowds, or Persons actually seen.
- Withdraw & report, before attempting any thing needlessly confrontational.
Establish whether Tristel’s Report is accurate, & obtain useful Observations.
Disengage if challeng’d, & reconsider from another lawful or credible Point of Observation.
Provoke no Fight merely to confirm what might be learn’d discreetly.
Review of the Shrine Intelligence.
Determine whether Matter already got from the Shrine can make plain the Monastery’s Doings.
Research, & religious Consultation.
The Company’s actual Notes, recover’d Documents & Testimony.
- Have our religious Specialist review the Creatures & Symbols identified.
- Distinguish what Nellibet recorded from Speculation.
- Compare any Dates or Events in the Shrine Records with the known Schedule of the Masquerade.
- Mark any Warning that warrants a Change in Equipment or Preparation.
One or more Findings that will bear Scrutiny, even should the Finding be that the Evidence does not suffice.
Keep the Matter for later Corroboration, without delaying the main Enquiry.
Silver Mask.
Obtain credible Entry to the Masquerade.
Social, & Deception.
A legitimate Arrangement for Entry, found as Events allow.
- Enquire into the Guests & their Retinues.
- Learn whether any has need of an Escort, or of Protection.
- Consider a credible professional Cover suited to the Company’s Talents.
- Procure fitting Cloaths, & Papers, if they are to be had.
- Agree upon our Conduct, our Signals, & our Retreat.
An Invitation prov’d genuine, an Engagement as Escort, or some other sound Means of Entry.
Seek another Contact or Means of Entry, without exposing our Allegiance to Andoran.
Assume no Invitation can be bought merely because the Rumour at the Mill said one could.
Preparation.
Once the Intelligence & the Means of Entry are sufficiently advanc’d:
- Review our Means, & our Stores of Consumables.
- Rest, & restore ourselves by the ordinary Rules.
- Settle our Cover Identities, & each one’s Charge.
- Fix our Retreat, should an Operation be compromis’d.
- Confirm the Time remaining before the Masquerade.
The Masque.
To carry on Camilia’s Enquiry, & pursue such Openings as our Intelligence supports.
To be chosen when the Circumstances are in truth known.
Presume no future Encounter, no Person’s Allegiance, & no hidden Outcome.
Memorandum of Readiness.
Of Intelligence.
Of Operations.
The Agent’s own Assessment.
Our first Enquiries are no longer without Direction.
We have met, at the Mill, with an apparent Effort to question those who enquire. We have obtain’d, at an abandon’d Shrine of Pharasma, religious & supernatural Evidence that may bear upon the Matter. And we have learn’d from a Cartographer that the Gray Gardeners are moving the final Blades across Galt.
These Affairs do not yet establish one Conspiracy. They do, however, furnish particular Intelligence worth the pursuing.
The first Necessity is to preserve the Cartographer’s Evidence, & to learn why the reported Removal of Sharp-Tooth Hana deserves our Attention.
At the same Time, Preparation for a legitimate Entry to the Masquerade must go forward.
A competent Agent does not suppose that every unanswer’d Question conceals the same Enemy.
But neither does he ignore a Pattern merely because he cannot yet explain it.
We have Names. We have Places. We have Testimony.
Now we verify.
Given at Litran, in the Season of the Harvest Jubilee.
I have the Honour to remain, Sir, your most obedt humble Servt,
Dossier the First, revis’d.