Letter to Lord Syrdarel

Greetings from distant shade,   I’ve found a Memory of yours here. I’m thankful to have his service, though I hope to return him to you when I am able.   The work I am doing here might be of particular interest to you. I’ve written to the full court of the expansionist work - we have not yet begun to produce new settlements but eventually we will. Your blueprints are invaluable and when the Barrier falls I expect that you will find these towns charmingly familiar, though inhabited by remarkably distinct people.   To you especially I enclose several additional seeing stones, as I thought their contents might interest you though they are not yet part of the Empire.   First, the ancient city of Deldrin. Its placement and construction are remarkable. I can see that it was once the central command of the War of Fire, which ended in our retreat over the mountains. The library beneath the city is clearly sized for both elves and Osyr, the sort of construction which will need to be used again in the future to size for Osyr, elves, dwarves, and fae.   Second, the Capital City of Deep Refractions. It is built entirely underground in a mountain, as is the wont of dwarves. Crystals provide ongoing energy for lighting within the street, where other cities like Solace use gas.   Third, the Crystal Spires. This was a grand Osyr city once, built as near to the sea as possible. I was only there for a short while (being there was difficult for my Osyr companion) but I see it as a vision for the future.   This last is something of a hopeful but sad sight - the abandoned city of Avan’Nal. This was a place where dragons, elves, and fae lived together. It did not last long as our people fractured and went their separate ways. Still, the communion between earth and sky here brings me hope.   My family has been working tirelessly beyond the Barrier in ways that none can see or appreciate. I had not thought myself ever to share the secrecy of The Shadow of the Empress or the thanklessness of The Tools of the Empress but life grows unexpectedly and I must grow with it. It was all I could to do send some of my family back with information and aid - as much as I could fit on two dragons.   There is work to be done here that will serve us for millennia if I am able to do it. I cannot do it without my people behind me and I do not have the resources to force them to back me (much as I have admired your methods in the past).   Shae’deneir’lanael
Fifth Hand of the Empress