Letter from Kislev (March 21st)
Cousin Mattias,
I do so enjoy receiving your letters as I feel they are sometimes my only contact with the world outside this frozen, godforsaken land of Kislev. Although I enjoy a favored status with the Grand Duke and his family, it is little solace when I cannot be with my friends and loved ones in Marienburg. Hopefully my business here will soon be concluded and I may return to the city that I love so dearly.
Still, the sights and sounds outside the city of Eringrad are fascinating to me even after a whole year of living here, and were it not for the numbing cold, I'm certain I could grow to love the beauty of the enormous pine trees and the sweeping snow covered plains. The people here, while lacking certain sophistication, are quite friendly and generally of good humor. They love nothing more than to gather around their lodge fires and laugh and sing on those cold winter nights...I suppose there isn't much else to do in such a harsh climate. But make no mistake, they are resolute in their desire to defend their homeland, and both men and women have shown themselves to be capable warriors.
I must admit that I was very surprised to read about the startling events at the Duke's palace in your letter. It seems that shortly after that incident, messengers were dispatched from Marienburg to several of the Empire’s greatest cities to inform them of the very occurrence you described. The news arrived here in Eringrad shortly after I had received your letter. Despite the constant threat from the abominations of the Chaos wastes, there has been little news of impending hostilities from any direction. Grand Duke Georgii is ever vigilant and has troops patrolling the outskirts of the city to provide the earliest of warnings, should there be an attack. In the last few months the patrols have encountered only a couple of small beastman warbands which were easily dispatched by Georgii’s fine horsemen.
There have been rumors afoot of some minor Orc activities far away to the south. The story seems to have originated in a visit from Dwarfs a fortnight ago. A local tavern owner claims to have overheard the Dwarves discussing news of a particularly devious orc warband moving northward from the region of the Badlands. Apparently, the Orcs had been sighted skulking through the countryside in a rather cowardly fashion rather than attacking every town and settlement along their path as is usually their preference. The dwarves discussing these reports seemed to be concerned by what this unusual activity might indicate. Grand Duke Georgii has since dismissed this information as nothing more than the drunken ramblings of a couple of old dwarfs and has taken no further notice of it.
Well, I must continue with my work here. Efforts to establish new trade contracts and delivery schedules have proven to take longer than I anticipated due to the remoteness of the region and the extremely harsh climate. Combined with the nobility’s’ love for exotic furs and materials only confounds my ability to guarantee delivery with any regularity. Hopefully, all my work will prove very profitable in the end, and I can return home proud and wealthy! Until then, may the blessings of Sigmar be upon you and your family.
Frederick Koller