I greatly regret that we are unlikely ever to make the acquaintance of Niyaz, King of Cleven. His actions in saving the city were noble in the true sense of the word, and it's both tragic and inevitable that he suffered the price for it. Tragic because he surely deserved better, and inevitable because he would not have been the sort to put the price on anyone else. The citizens of the city seem to revere him, and with good reason. Unfortunately, it seems impossible that (as much as they may want it) they will ever see him restored. I'm inclined to agree with those who have quietly said that the only way of healing him would be to undo his protection on the city and allow all of the disasters that were averted to come to pass.

Tillian is the current ruler of Cleven, regent for his disabled father and king for all practical purposes. I have heard little said actively against him (except that he is inexperienced and somewhat lacking in confidence) but little for him, either. He seems to be living in his father's shadow, and not fare well by comparison. That does create something of an opportunity for someone to exercise power through him, if he proves biddable. Something to be on guard against....

A woman in her mid-30s, Meer Dickicht is the Prince's military advisor and the leader of the Royal Guard. She's clearly not merely a theoretician on matters military; she carries herself like someone who knows what she's doing. Unfortunately, I beleive she considered herself to be 'on duty' during the time we were with the Council, and her soldier's reserve made it difficult for me to get any clear impression of her. Certainly she seemed to have a strong sense of loyalty or duty, but I can't say at this point whether it was to the King, the Prince, the royal family in general, or the city itself. One hopes that the interests of all of those will stay in close alignment, but knowing which in particular it is that drives her (or whether it is something else) would help in knowing which way she might turn in a crisis.

Bela is the Guild Mistress of the Silver Tower Guild, and represents the interests of all of the guilds of Cleven on the Prince's council. She's quite young to have so much responsibility... by which I mean she's only three or so years older than I am. (It's hard to remember that sometimes, actually. The last few years feel like they've aged us more than mere passage of time can account for). Her poise and confidence offer some explanation for how she won that position; it's difficult to imagine suggesting she wasn't qualified. Most of the nobles seem to treat her as an equal, perhaps responding to that very thing, though Lady Maple is certainly an exception.

In his 60s (apparently, but who can tell with a wizard?), Reiko is the Royal Wizard of Cleven. He's a member of the Silver Circle, as well, not that this is surprising. Interestingly, he knows Dryan! In fact, the two visited after the Forsaking, and Reiko apparently passed on to Dryan what he had learned about the ways wizardry had changed. I wonder...did Reiko make those discoveries himself, or did he have some sort of quiet contact with the elves and learn it from them?

Called 'the Judge', Taigo was once a priest of St. Cuthbert and, in his day, a noteworthy adventurer. Now in his 60s, he has retired from adventuring but certainly has not put himself out to pasture. Nor did he give up his commitment to the law when he gave up his clerical calling. The city magistrates report to Taigo; the city watch may as well, though I'm less certain of that. He seems well-respected, with a solid reputation for integrity and fair judgement. He was permitted to go armed at court.

This rather severe woman is the Prince's overseer - the superior of the quartermasters in the various communities around Cleven. She must also serve in the capacity of treasurer as part of her duties; she was aware that we had paid tax upon the portion of Ildeberth's hoard which we recovered. Interestingly, she is not born of one of the four major families - minor nobility, yes, but I gather it's unusual for someone from a minor family to have such a prominent and powerful post. I find myself wondering if the muttering about this from the other nobles is because they question her ability or...appropriateness for the position, because of her status, or if the real concern is that she might favor the major family who are her family's patrons and give them more influence in council than the others. I'm not certain at this point how much maneuvering goes on between the different major families in the city. They showed few major signs of infighting during our interviews, but that is the sort of thing one would expect them to avoid in front of questionable outsiders.

Lady Maple isn't the oldest member of the Prince's council; in fact, in her late 40s, she's not even the oldest noble. She is, however, certainly the most conservative and set in her ways. I don't know as yet if this is a family trait, or perhaps simply a part of her own personality. She seemed very aware of her social position, and concerned that the proprieties and protocols be observed. Though speaking as a commoner, I' am not likely to see much benefit from that attitude (and may in fact find it most inconvenient if it should come to pass that we need to interact with her at any length), I can't truly castigate her too much for it. When everything falls apart, some people try to hold tight to the forms of the world they're used to. It's not the most EFFECTIVE response, but it's understandable. Hopefully, knowing her inclinations in that direction, we can make the appropriate nod in the direction of her beliefs and avoid offending her.

Lord Ashengaff is in his 50s. Though clearly quite wealthy, his tastes appeared to be more...restrained and understated than those of Lady Maple. I understand that he has allied himself with the city guilds, and that much of his wealth may now be based on trade rather than traditional land holdings. It's not clear to me yet whether this respresents practicality and a desire to do what works best in a new situation, simple greed, or some combination of the two.

Lord Oakskeel is in his late 40s, and carries himself like a man with military experience. Given his family's ties to the Dichichts, that fails to surprise. I don't yet have a strong impression of the man himself, however.

There must be quite a story in how Corina came to be representing her family at the Prince's court, though I've not yet heard it. She's more the sort I'd expect to find out beating the bounds than making small talk in a drawing room. Not that her breeding or manners are lacking at all; she simply seems to have a bias for action and an inclination to be DOING things. Her clothing tended towards leathers and chain rather than city dress. She's the same affinity to the wild that Amber does, I'm sure. I was somewhat concerned that she might have been a devout follower of the Forest Maiden and harbor ill-will towards us, given that, but there's been no particular sign of that as yet.

Posted a request for assistance with the Silver Tower because of 'strange occurances disrupting their home'.

The Crispen family were having a variety of problems - theft, I believe, and disturbances at the family crypt. It eventually proved that one of their missing scions was actually a vampire, and had been collecting things to which he felt entitled. Lanier Crispen, I believe. Given what we now know, he was (is) most likely a Roan.

A halfling who no doubt claims the title 'scout', but I suspect that 'thief' is closer to fact. She appears to have been responsible on the main for our being attacked by adventurers out of Cleven, though honesty compels me to note that she overheard Frederick and Hanno were discussing how it would have wiser to kill her group when we first met them may have also played a role. Regardless, she both survived their subsequent attack on us and managed to escape. She is said to have friends in low places in Cleven and to have a vengeful sort of mind, so I suspect we may see her again...or at the very least, see the effects of whatever efforts she makes to hinder us. Yndel and Anora were her companions, along with a half-orc warrior (and sorceror?), a woodsman and a wizard (the last three of whom all perished in the attack).

A human priest of Kord - though bereft of spells, which is reassuring in that it suggests Kord is not present near Cleven - who was companion to Piper, Anora, and the others from Cleven who attacked us. Conversation after the melee suggests he is not an unreasonable man, though he seems quite puzzled by our decision to leave him alive. It's clear that his faith in Kord has weakened over the course of years without contact, and he showed signs of some interest in the elemental powers; it's possible he may be willing to convert. He and Anora both are fairly accomplished enchanters, skills that are apparently in some demand in Cleven.

Do you know, in all the time since we first departed from Hyrule, I believe that Anora may be the first other person I have met with bardic training? She appears to have been rather more steadfast in her studies than I have. I'm glad she had the wisdom to surrender when it became clear their attack was going to fail...it would have been a sad thing to have to injure or kill the first bard I've seen in four years. She didn't seem to have much enthusiasm for the attack - she supported her companions with music, but never actually struck a blow.

A bard, I believe, and certainly an inquisitive soul with an interest in...ancient archaeology? We met her through Celadrin. She was looking for the assistance of a wizard, in something that must not have been Celadrin's speciality. At least, that is my assumption...unfortunately, she never had an opportunity to explain herself. She excused herself from the conversation almost immediately to go and fetch her notes from her room, and was killed there by a vampire. Celadrin gave portions of her journal into our keeping...to judge from those, she discovered (rediscovered?) a lost and forgotten portion of the under-city of Cleven, below the sewers. She discovered a magically sealed tomb there, but was attacked by vampires. She fled, believing she had eluded pursuit, but was clearly mistaken.

Amber's younger sister, also (much to our surprise) a Paladin of Fire. She was found and recruited by Hrrag-Lishaak, who has told her she is 'The Chosen of Fire'. It's too early at this point for me to come to any real conclusions about her, as I've seen her but not actually spoken with her. She does certainly seem more...fun-loving than her sister.

A merchant whose caravan we encountered en route from Cleven to Miles; one of his wagons had become stuck in the mud. Hanno and Frederick were able to extricate him without much difficulty, and we passed some brief conversation in the meanwhile.

Another merchant of Cleven encountered on the Cleven-Miles trail, Karl's caravan had rather more substantial difficulties than Dieter's...in the form of a pair of Abyssal ghouls that had ravaged his contingent of guards, leaving many of them critically injured and infected with some sort of supernatural pestilence. Gratitude for our assistance in saving his men seemed to compel at least a hesitant acceptance of Amber and Frederick's unusual appearance, and he was able to provide some intelligence about Cleven, as well as some trade. Should we wish to do more business once we reach the city, he may be a good acquaintance to call upon.

The head of the Cleven thieves' guild. If Stiletto isn't a Shendau vampire, then it's only because they've decided there's a benefit to be had from having someone in charge of the guild who can be seen in the daylight.

A half-demon vigilante. Tang is...interesting. I believe his interest in making a break from the usual fate of those with his blood is sincere. I'd like to help him, but...ultimately, that has to come from within. And he seems to be doing well enough on his own, so far.

A captain of the guard. I wonder sometimes what Captain Strongiron would have to say about us if one got him into his cups. On the one hand, I feel like I have a good working relationship with him. On the other, we encounter him primarily when we're involved in something that is probably giving him a headache. His feelings must be at least a little mixed.

A sergeant at the city's south gate. He once posted a notice requesting adventurer help with a problem at a farm outside the city.