Olesya's Dispatches - The Carnival

The Ubersreik Five may not know Olesya Pimenova as a conversationalist, but the caustic Kislevite is secretly a prolific writer of letters. Amongst her grimoires and arcane paraphernalia are stowed reams of gossip and covert intelligence from across the Old World. To what purpose this correspondence? Nobody knows. Suffice to say, Olesya's fingers are in many pies.

Dear Reiner,

It appears we continue to live under the curse of interesting times, if Be’lakor’s activities in the Chaos Wastes are anything to go by. However, I’d wager the First Damned didn’t count on his Shadow Champions possibly opening up a vulnerability. Lohner believes the binding to mortals may have left such a weakness, and although he remains tight-lipped about the source of his knowledge, his reasoning seems sound. He’s been trying to bluster through this development in his usual irritating way, but even our shopkeeper knows that a daemon-king older than the world is a greater threat than any of us has witnessed before.

Lohner may be a provincial burgher and fusspot, but the college would do well to heed him on this. You should have trusted magisters investigate this question urgently. In the meantime, I will investigate the disorder within the Weaves. Perhaps what has been done can be undone - that, or made worse with further meddling. This is not a time to act with haste, anyhow…

To other business. A carnival passed near to the keep this past week. I attended to cast my eyes over proceedings. I had been half thinking the same as Saltzpyre, who loudly explained his presence was necessitated by the possibility that the festivities hid something more sinister, and possibly infectious. There was nothing untoward amongst the stalls whatsoever, so our zealot spent the afternoon huffing at jugglers, tutting at musicians and making an unsuccessful attempt to enact a spontaneous sermon to a crowd which disappeared faster than a Ratman up a drainpipe.

The festivities were more eventful for the remainder of the Five, with our Bright Wizard, Sienna, egging on our Grail Knight to purchase yet another hat. She’d spotted a mile off that the thing was enchanted, but also knew that, on seeing a plume that size, Kruber was going to throw caution to the wind. Long story short, our winsome soldier found himself sprouting a bushy tail! Not that he realised, the enchantment being a neat little piece of illusory spellcraft. I’d bet my last shilling that it was the work of Laurens Yster. You may recall that he was a contemporary from my early years at the college. Once met, never forgotten, despite best efforts.

Anyhow, Kruber didn’t realise why he was the butt-end of such mockery because he stormed off in gales of laughter before anyone could explain it was due to his newly bushy rear. He was lucky Saltzpyre didn’t see, else he’d likely have found himself on the wrong end of a pyre for such an unconventional adornment. Anyhow, the hat is in his wardrobe until the next time he feels a need for particularly elaborate headgear, or we need a serious laugh - which given the state of the North, is likely to be sooner rather than later.

Yours,

Olesya