Shadow Whispers

Damn my brother and all he is good for. The bastard had me locked in a damned cell with that interminable bitch Ava and then had the temerity to drag me off to home so I could deal with a bit of an issue with the damned Stag.

There will be troubles, Jaric has had another vision, the danger to Aegis is getting stronger and I am in fear for my children. They must be taken from this place to somewhere safer, Aurora is harsh, but Aegis is facing war and destruction on a scale that has not been seen even in the winterlands...Jaric has seen the earth itself wrecked and split asunder after the battles.

I do not tell Ava these things, she need not be worried until war is upon us, but I will be forced to take our children from this realm, without her notice, or they may very well be lost. Jaric's last vision showed us the one thing we have always feared, the wilting of the Roses.

It grows worse, Bathroy is at greater risk. I will not let harm come to her if it iswithin my power to prevetn it. We have discoverred the enemy has a weakness for holy magics...which makes the next logical move to take the Queen to IceHold. What better place to hide her than on Holy ground within the walls of a fortified church?
Gods but it felt strange to say those words after all these years...to invoke the gods's blessings for someone and to truly mean the words spoken. I have never felt more at peace than then...except when Ava is in my arms..

Jaric has sent word that his arrival is imminent...600 Auroran warships will beladning shortly, bringing an army of nearly 10000 men to the shores of Aegis to serve as our force in this realm. If there is to be war as Jaric has seen, then we will not stand unprepared.

Come little specter, our dark dance awaits, and I am afraid you will not be the one leaving when the balet ends.

Thank gods that is over and doen with.

I was starting to get tired of having to share Ava's body with a demon, not to mention the fireballs, kicks, gouges, and ruined clothign I had to deal with...remind me next tiem to send out someone else to fight the damned things.

Gods it is good to see her safe again....I have missed her terribly.

My little Sarah has developed quite the attittude and independent streak it seems. She dared try to use bathory's health to blackmail me into granting her a release from the bond...she nearly had me...if not for the death of the demon I would have had no coice, she would have been released....and then hunted like a dog.

Jaric is up to something...I do not know what, but he is making me nervous somehow. There was something missign when he enterred that chaple...

The damnable women of Aurora are obviously the reason I left the place...wish I had rememberred that before I sent for these women. The Winterhavens.

They drive me mad with their antics..but oh the fun when one fo them fails. Ava and I are going to enjoy teaching little sarah a lesson in the game..and with any luck she will even survive it to learn something...

Trixie is a threat now. I am not sure how much she heard while in Sarah's pocket, but it is a risk to let her live... I may be forced to deal with her... a shame, she seems to have made a nice little home for herself in the garrison. If she must die... then she will be granted the death she deserves... she will die by my hand.

Nine. Nine of the finest assassins alive are all that remains of the thriteen that began their careers so long ago. Why do my knights fall to such foolish matters? Trained and hardened killers, and yet they remain the frail women that they were when I found them...a flaw I thought I had scared out of them centuries ago.

Katrian is dead. My justice done in front of her sisters. I grow tired fo them acting in an unsatisfactory and disobedient manner and it is time they realize that I am not a kind father... I am a cold blooded killer. Perhaps now they will realize that when I say to do soemthing, I expect it done. With no arguments.

It seems my dear "brother" has found himself a woman. A shame he has not t09ld me who it is...though the man has never been one to talk about his personal life much. I guess I will merely have to attend the ball to find out. I do hope he has not married some hore-faced bitch from some god-forsaken pit somewhere...or worse yet, a preistess from Raven's Crest, a far more frightening prospect.

I hae work to do now...there is to be an inquisition here in IceHold...Jaric has questions and I don;t want him getting the answers.

Oh joy of joys. Jaric's little party is going to prove to be even mor enjoyable to us than I thought. My dear Ava has brought me a juicy little bite that will make stopping the wedding easy, and if I can implicate Sarah in the matter...well, let us merely say that it will prove a benefit.

My Knights have come to me wanting to make things right within the order and between themselves and the Queen. I commend them for this, but I can't hlep but wonder what they want of me. No woman does anything merely "because".

I must end this here, I have much to do yet in preparation for this ball. I have to make a dress for Trixie to atone for Victoria nearly gutting the little thing. Oh the things I do for my girls...

A calssic situation..adn I didn't even set it up!

Ava and Amarra were there when Sarah did the job, Jannae is dead an her gods-forsaken child dealt with before she could marry my brother. No one can say a word about the crime without implicating Ava and starting a war...

Sarah has been dealt with, my Ladies inform me that they have seen to her, I can only hope that their scheme works and I don;t have to kill the lot of them to make it right.

With the recent council meeting I have decided that it is best I distance myself from the Queen lest I be brought to bear as a suitor. She is not aware of it yet, but victoria will accompany mew to the ball...were she not performing at Jaric's request, I would have asked Catherine..but she will already be in position should we need to deal with Jaric's temper.

Well, off to the tailor's....time to be ready to outshine my brother.

I have a very bad feeling that things are about to get worse than usual. We have had a recent invasion by fae...a sign that can not be anything but of trouble.

It would seem that the bitch is once again up to her old tricks, when I finally catch her,m I will make her regret siring me...in fact, I will make her regret the day her sire drained her dry...the miserable wench. She has already claimed the lives of several of our preists...the more portly and obese ones, but she has gotten them none-the-less.

It is obvious that Margeurite is behind this, but for somereason there is something jot right...they did not fight back when we attacked them...no magic, no blades...nothing. If I did not knwo differently, then I would say they were Aegis fae...but those were all slaughterred by the Queen.

Ava is growwing tiresome. She is nearly constatnly bawling about her appearance and there are only so many times my atience can assure hr of her beauty...I will wind up being harsh to the woman...and then have to sta as far away as possible until the child is born. I wonder if the Archmage is willing to give me a distraction and try to kill me like the last one....

This is perfect, I have the chance to kill that annoying brat that poses such a problem for the succession of my own children. remind me to thank the surviving fae for their efforts.

Catherine and Victoria will be on their way to deal with the matter as fast as possible..which is to my benefit completely.

Well, it was fun. I nearly had that useless Monk dead....again. Damn the guards and their interference. Of course since I was playing with one of Ava's toys she got upset that I may break it, but I have assured her that I will find her a new one once I am done with him.

The plan runs smoothly, no one has any idea what I am up to. They are all completely clueless and it has given me the erfect oppurtunity to get soem house cleaning finished, by the end of the season everything will be in place and I will have what I have been after all along.

No word has been had from Victor in some time...I wonder what that boy is up to....

Well, well , well. A fae sitting on the frozen throne...what in teh NINE HELLS POSSESSED THAT DAMNED FOOL!? JAric has gone MAD! This will undoubtedly start a civil war, one in which Andrallax and Margeurite will both capitalize and leave us all out in the cold, and beleive me, it is VERY cold in Aurora.

Well, the only answer to it is simple, I must take a page from Jaric's book and act in the interest of the realm, Trixie must not be allowed to reign in Aurora.

Ava is still drinking heavily as usual, I may just have to cure her of that once and for all, it will be a simple matter to withdraw the curse and cause her to lose the child...and even easier to make her beleive it was the alcohol...then again, I do have ways of making her think such a thing has indeed happened already...I may need to consult that damnable arch mage...I hate him.

Enoguh for now, I must get back to what I was doing for the evening...Ava is calling and if I do not go and take care fo her cravings now there will be no living with her.

I am so devious I scare myself sometimes, or at least I would were there anything in this blasted pit of existance I feared. I have the perfect plan to put that up-start mage in his place once and for all and in the process I may even be able to implicate Frostwind in the death of a high-ranking Aegis official.

Two birds, one stone, and no evidence to prove I had anything to do with it. I truly am amazing.

jaric has informed me that I will be the command for an honor guard at soem blasted ball the Queen is having for that fop Immitus. Oh how lovely. I get to dree real pretty and stand around to make sure that no one kills a man I have no true desire to see remain animate. But, as jaric pointed out, it is best to play the game than to tip one's hand too early, and I have too much in the works now to risk it by killing that nuisance in such a setting...

Ava has been rather busy as of late and I begin to wonder which of her playthings it is this time. Not that it matters, but it is always good to know who may be the next target of the day should she tire of them too quickly.

Alas, I have an appointment to keep with Ms. Veronica RavenClaw. Time for her to pay her back bill....

Well, the ball seems to have been a flop. Although we did manage to get dear Sarah finally...sad, but necessary.

My plans are all falling into place. Sorscha is now a willing tool in the demise of her own husband, and Catherine will be bringing me the necessary supplies to make certain that the ShadowKnights never suffer for replacement bodies...glorious.

The ruins in the Thunderlands provide the perfect basis to rebuild the "family" estate from and when all is accomplished I will have yet another band of loyal servants at my disposal, all under Ava and Jaric's notice...brilliant.

On a darker note, I have lost a child to an assassin's poison. The damned amature bastard tried to take Ava's life with a bloody poison! Any killer with half a brian know a vampyre is not going to be harmed by mortal poisons, and there was no trace of magic.

I kick myself to think that such an amature job went benath my notice to begin with..but I have been more than distracted. Rest assured, when I find the bastard, he will die slowly for this.

Baron Vladamir Carthalllion
Lord of the Blue Rose

The Bitch got Daenerys and the others...Winterfell is lost to me, and that fae brat is the reason...I will enjoy gutting that bastard when I catch him.

On a lighter note, I am now free to do as I damend well please nad no longer need deal with the meddlesome affairs of ruling a barony. Oh happy days.

Jaric ah moved into the island permanently, or at least until the mess has been settled, It is depressing knowwing he will be constantly about, but all is good in the end.

We have dealt with that ignorant fool Savannah properly. I am amazed that someone with so little intellect could ever get the title of King to begin with...his chancellor must be the one running the show because the man doesn't possess enough common sense to wipe his own ass with...which I am sure he asks someone else to do for him anyway.

All went according to my plan, and soon all will be where I wish it.

It is so hard being this damned good.

My, my, my... it has been quite interesting as of late.

The boy Xavier has proven to be just like his father...which means he is a threat to all I have built and I need to deal with him in a proper manner. Since it was uncoverred that the child is capable of killing one of his own siblings it is seen as best that we seperate him from his accomplice in crime. Claudia has been deliverred to Draco and the boy is now in Grorr with Wyrmslayer.

Their may be aproblems with the woman Sorscha. She has found herself no longer wanted by her husband whom she "betrayed" and replaced by a new woman. It may be in my best interest to see her dealt with in an appropriate manner...perhaps permanently should she prove too large a pain. Though I do not see the girl as having the spirit to try and fight back.

Why else would I choose her to be my patsy?

It is time I called my Knights to me...they need to be informed of their new roles in this land and of theri new leader..and perhaps we may rebuild what we have lost.

The night is deepening. I have work to do.

Ah, the beauty of being a miserable bastard is in the surprised looks that you get when someone suddenly realizes you were quite serious about killing them if they failed to hold up their end of the deal.

I warned the fool, half up front, and half when done...and he failed to pay at all. A shame, he was nearly useful, and now we need a new admiral. Oh well, we will simply replace him as we did the "missing" general.

The ball is going to be most enjoyable. My date for the evening will go along with what I tell her simply out of fear, and in the end I do beleive the entire party will be saved by what i have in store...no sense in allowing the Aegians to have a flawless event when they seem content to wreck the parties at IceHold for us.


I just hope Immy has the nerve to actually attend, and that he remembers to bring a sense of humor...

Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to decieve...but then again...some of my finest tapestries have come from deceptions loom.

The pawns are in place...the peices readied, all I need now is to wait for my opponent's play...I do so hope they don't dissappoint me and make it too easy, not like that assanine fool Savannah. If I do not find a challenge soon I may have to go back to tormenting Ava, and that game has gotten too old already.

I have found what may prove to be a valuable asset to my scheming, should she prove pliable. In fact, she may yet join my knight hood if she proves herself anywhere near as good as she claims to be.

But we shall see when the time of the ball arrives.

From time to time I sit and go back through this damnable book and wonder to myself, just waht in the nine hells do I hope to accomplish with it? And yet I still write.

The game is going perfectly. That foolish elf has played into my hands, not that he was truly given a choice, and even SoulReaver is doing what is expected of him now. The only wild card in my scheme is, as usual, Ava. With her return I find a most unsettling flaw in my plot and lack the necessary means to ensure she is kept out of the way.

Thankfully Jaric beleives her to be less than loyal to our side in this matter and is keeping her well monitored...by asking me to keep her under surveillance. This works perfectly in my favor, as it provides me with an allibi when the time comes for this to all go together as it should.

Unlimited wealth and power...at the expense of a few insignificant nobles...a bargain well struck.

I am so glad that life here is never dull..even if many of the parties are. Yet again the ball blows up in a debacle of misunderstandings and mishaps. And this time I had no part in them...that can be detected.

Things progress slowly, and my usual escorts and partners for these events seem to cause me no end fo trouble because of the Queen's dislike of my ladies...so now Iam in the market fo ra new kitten...what a shame, I do so enjoy making the Queen seeth when Victoria and I take the dance floor...

Well, a short night for me...I have a date, though she is currently unaware that I will be paying her a visit...

Well, well. I hate it when my time tables have to be moved up beyond the desired arangements...it makes things far too unweildly, and yet I find myself in the position of having to find a replacement Queen far faster than I had ever anticipated. It is a good thing that I have a candadite to hand...too bad she is more useful to me off the throne.

Alas I fear that my meddling in this affair may lead to my untimely demnise, as such I have taken careful care not to mention my associates in the matter, it would just simply not do to have us all killed on this one, not when they were merely pawns. Then again, to hell with them. If I die I will leave a record elsewhere to get them all from beyond the grave.

Aegis sits exactly where I want it...and all goes as planned...this minor inconveinience will simply prove a bump in the road to my greater glory...or the last nail in a coffin I have been avoiding for centuries...either way, I will be content with the outcome.

Ah, another wonderfully disastrous party in Aegis...remind me to seek entertainment elsewhere if I wish to enjoy a party that is not ruined by a reptillian monstrosity, or a band of roving pirates, or the presence of one of those tight ass Frostwind types.

Jaric has been unusually withdrawn as of late, much like he is planning his grand campaign and doesn't want us to ruin his fun...I'll snoop in his ledgers later to see what he is up to.

My organization is re-growwing itself splendidly. With the addition of Rose and the other, I will soon have a band worthy of those who have gone before them, though I wish we still had Abigail to keep them all in line.

Well, enough of this tripe.

Our encounter with the dragon has lead me to beleive the enemy moves soon. While the beast did considerable damage to the city and some of its guards, it seemed to be on more of a reconnaisance mission...which tells me Draco will be the first target, Jaric has dispatched Wulfgang and a small detachment of Knights to the city, buit I fear they will be too little too late.

I have been informed that dear Victor has a new toy which may cost us the seas...if the boy closes to within range of my blade, his new vessle will serve him not at all.

There is room in Aegis for one dark god, Demon, I intend to be the one who choses who that diety will be.

A grand day indeed. My remaining informant in Aurora has indeed sent word that my nightmares are no coincidence, The Bitch is on her way, and she brings with her several of the Stag's more unpleasant creations.

I have been lead to beleive that his small band of troops coming to the aide of SoulReaver will include Therek, the Ursyn.

I am faced with a dilema. She is far stronger than anyone on this island save perhaps jaric, who finds strength in his faith enough to face her, but her speed would leave him at her mercy...I have the skill and speed to challenge her in my own right, but not the power to resist her will should she truly desire to impose it on me...and yet to allow her to come here would undo everything I have accomplished with this acursed existence...and that alone sickens me to my core.

It is hard to beleive in my age that I worry for my children in this matter, but I do not wish them to suffer the fate that I myself have faced. At the thought of thet Devil Whore, my kneck still burns where that thrice damend metal dug into my flesh...I can still feel the mark of the lash on my back and hear her near bored mutterrings as she tortured me for nights on end, only to let me rest to start afresh.

Such thoughts haunt me nightly now. As she draws closer I can sense her presence and it disturbs my sleep. How long before the Hell Wench reaches a place where she can enter my sleep and attack my mind...how long before the realm must face the inevitability of my blade being turned against them?

I have alrey secured Shadow'sBane from her. When I fall victim to her will, my sword will pass to my heir...and thus will the order be saved, but for how long?

Death holds no terror to those who are already dead, but the idea of a life of eternal servitude, slave to the will of another, brings a visceral terror that even I can not bear...

Gods save us from what comes.

Regrdless of the constant haunting of my sleep by images of that hell-spawned bitch, I have managed to nearly secure everything needed to control an empire in this realm to rival my holdings in Aurora. In fact, if the peices moved any eaier one would beilve I was playing alone.

I stand poised to collect the throne of Aegis in a move that will require o bloodshed, and minimal effort for me, my personal holdings in theland have extended to nearly every provence, and shortly I will have total control of Jaric's advisors...

Add to that the removal of Victor and the return of Sarah to my employ and the world runs smoothly.

And yet, that damnable woman Angel may cause everything to shift suddenly on me, If the girl were not so foolish she would almost be a threat...almost.

To watch me work must be to watch a master at his art. I have all of the peices in place, adn no one is the wisewr for it. To think that I have orchestrated the realm into such a position is awe inspiring to say the least, and the rewards will make all of my efforts perfect.

The Angel matter has been dealt with in a most befitting manner, the girl plays into my hands like a well trained dog. Her fondness for my dear Winterhavens could not have been more perfectly cultivated, nor more easily disguised as being genuinely returned. Such a naive girl is a welcome change.

Bathory has no clue what I have put into motion, and it will be far too late for her to do anything ti stop me once my final peice falls in place.

This is what it is like to have the power of the gods, to topple realms and empires as easily as striking down a man in his sleep...and they wonder why I love my job.

It was going so well...the peices were all in place, I had but to wave my hand and the end game would be done, the realms would be firmly in my pocket, and all would be as planned...

and then my damnable brother has to go and change the script on me. All he had to do was cast the little wench aside like a wise little king, tell her she was being foolish and that he could not marry a commoner who had nothing to offer the realm...but no, he has to go and marry the angelic whore and ruin years of carefully laid plans with a simple oath in front fo that twice-damned blade of his!

The only solace I can fidn is that the curse will have her, hopefully before she can breed and cause any more derailmanets in my scheme. Should the curse prove insufficient to have us rid of the woman, I may have to take and active hand in the matter, but that is something we will not discuss on paper where a foolish servant may read.

There is an amusing side to all of this. The ever-so-caring Queen of Aegis has completely lost her temper on the matter. Leave it to my brother to stand up a Queen to have a wedding in her garden with the guest of honor as his bride. This will undoubtedly keep her pre-occupied for weeks, allowing me to do as I wish before the inevitable occurs.

Well, I am done here for the night. I find I have no more wish to write.

Once again, well played dear brother, it is nice to know I may finally have found an opponent that is as dangerous as I.