Little Bird's Letters

[Tsidkenu]

After almost a month of silence another professionally prepared scroll arrived at the Castillo-Cadwaldr residence in the city of Neverwinter. It again bore its distinctive blue-wax seal, stamped with the symbol of Mystra inlaid with the Espruar letters A.A. Once the seal was cut the letter would reveal a careful, fluid cursive, identical to the previous letter before it.

Dear Sparrow,

I must say I was so overjoyed to receive your reply and I was ever so anxious in having to unravel your impressive paper artistry. It still amazes me how you manage to fold this parchment in such a way that you make such beautiful figurines, so much so that it took me a great number of hours to replicate your feat and return your letter to its original shape! It now sits in my study where I look upon it daily and remember you in my prayers.

It seems you have an interesting life there in Neverwinter. You should try to make a painting on the canvas Mr. Cadwaldr gave you. Do you remember the time you drew pictures for me? Just do like that. Draw the things you like to draw. I would love to see another one of them.

My health has improved while I was away; that is why it took so long for me to write back. But I am moving back to the Temple now. I also finished my books like I said. I did not know if you wanted them to read, but I will send you them if you want to read about some of the history of magic. I know you are afraid of words of power, and sometimes they are very scary. But you do not have to use them if you do not want to. No-one can make you use them if you choose to say no.

Elly is still here in Baldur's Gate. She has decided to start a school where they teach singing, dancing, art, magic, stories and other interesting things. I think I will try to help her by teaching about magic. I have yet to hear back from her because she is always busy with many things.

I hope that Pigeon is helpful to you, and I hope all the questions he asks do not cause you to feel cold inside. Maybe you should think about questions that make you feel warm and healthy inside? I think there must be some of those deep down, even if it is cold outside in the weather.

No matter what happens, I will always think of you as my friend. Maybe one day you will think that way too, even if it takes a very long time. You will see that no matter how much time passes I will not turn bad like the others you think of. Because real friends do not turn bad, even when everything else is bad.

You can write to me any time at the Temple. I will be here now, and you will get a quicker reply from me because I am not away in the forest any more.

From your friend,
Aeili.

A watercolour painting of a royal kingfisher is rolled seperately inside the centre of the parchment.

[Grimcheese]

A letter finally arrives, in a very sorry state. It is half-crumpled, ink-stained, and torn in places, with a hasty A.A. scrawled on the front post factum. Fortunately, the contents are still (barely) legible.

---

Dear Aeili,

I am sorry for being late to write. Thank you for writing to me. I do not know what I want to write about and I wish I do. I will write many things but it is many small things instead of one big thing and I hope you do not mind.

I write about many small things because many small things have happened. I try to draw on the thing that I can draw and paint on but I think of so many things to draw that I do not draw anything. There is too much everything and I do not know and I know and it makes my head hurt a lot.

Pigeon says that Mr. Cadwaldr said I said words without power and Pigeon said to me that he would like to hear me speak. I do not understand and when Pigeon said to me if I remember speaking I do not remember. I try to remember and I think very hard and I feel very sick and I do not want to speak or think about it any more. Pigeon tells me that it is okay and we can try someday because it has been a long day for me but I do not know where to start.

I do not know how to continue. There is a new person in the house who works and tries to talk to me but when I hear her I close the door and do not listen but I can hear her talking through the door and I do not know why she wants to talk to me. Pigeon tells me that it is okay to talk to her but I do not want to talk to her. When I think of talking to her I remember her face exploding into red and being taken somewhere by a man that appeared and many bad things and I do not want to remember it.

You write about finishing writing books about words of power. If it is okay I would like to read the books but if you want to keep the books it is okay too. I want to stop thinking because thinking makes my head hurt but I cannot stop thinking and I hope your books will help.

I am sorry for only writing about myself. Mr. Cadwaldr and Mrs. Cadwaldr tell me that it is not polite to write only about myself and I should ask how others are doing because it is polite to ask how others are doing. How are you doing?

Thank you for writing to me. It is hard for me to write back but I try because I think it makes you happy. Does it make you happy?

[Tsidkenu]

After almost a tenday's delay, a parcel arrives at the Cadwaldr residence in Neverwinter addressed for Sparrow. The large, square-shaped package is wrapped in thick brown linen and crossed over with twine to keep the contents sealed. A familiar, blue wax seal bearing the eight-pointed star of Mystra inset with the Espruar letters A.A. is stamped across the crossed-over twine to indicate both the sender, and the integrity of the contents. Once opened, four beautifully prepared books sit inside bearing the following titles:

• Lectures on the History of Magic: Volume I - Creation to the Dawning.
  Lectures on the History of Magic: Volume II - The First Flowering, the Sundering and the Dark Disaster.
  Lectures on the History of Magic: Volume III - The Rise and Fall of Netheril.
  Lectures on the History of Magic: Volume IV - The Magic Empires of the East, Imaskar, Narfell and Raumathar.

Resting discreetly inside the front cover of the first book, several loose, but folded, leaves of parchment would fall out when it was first opened. Its flowing, eloquent handwriting reads as follows.

Dear Sparrow,

I was utterly delighted to have received your letter! What a wonderful blessing I had awaiting me in the Temple that day. Thank you so much for writing to me; I had begun to think that with all the troubles in the region here my letter had somehow been lost along the way. I am glad to have been wrong about that!

Things are going okay for me here in Baldur's Gate, many things considered. The city was recently attacked by a plague of undead and they managed to break through the wall in the Palace district. Their leader was defeated, however, and the city is safe now. But there were many people who died because of the attack. Everyone you know here is safe and well.

I have been busy with helping the Temple of Ilmater deal with all the orphans and street children that resulted from the war and all the refugees that came here. Mrs. Telia Santraeger and I put on a magic show for them not long ago. I have attached the script of our play just in case you were interested in what we did! I have also sent you the books I promised. They are the lectures I gave to the Elvish students of magic while I was away in the forest. I hope they are helpful and informative for you.

I am very happy to hear of your progress in speaking! Do you still use the magic mirror I made for you? Maybe you could try speaking the words you write in the mirror, words without power. When you feel confident enough you can speak the words in the mirror to Pigeon. I think that would make him happy.

Who is this new woman that troubles you? You shouldn't have to talk to anyone you do not want to. I appreciate that you want to talk to me though. That makes me feel special. I hope you feel special too, because you can talk to me in these letters about anything you want to say, or even anything you do not want to say to Pigeon or anyone else. No-one else sees these letters except for me.

I do feel happy when you write to me, Sparrow, and I hope I will get many more letters from you. But you do not have to write to me just to make me feel happy. There are many things which make me feel happy, just as there are many things that make me feel sad. I still feel sad that I could not help you learn to talk words without power. I hope one day you will have your dream. I know that would make you happy, just as I am happy when I receive a letter from you.

From your friend,
Aeili

The script for the play is attached to the back of the letter. It runs several pages.

Hidden: show

The Mystran Magic Show

Performed by Nea, Telia Santraeger and Aeili Azenci.

A play, entitled:

Bubble Bubble, Cauldron of Trouble

Narrator (Nea): Once upon a time in a dark, distant forest, two twin witches lived in a dark old house with a dark, old cauldron that always bubbled, bubbled, bubbled with a dark, old potion.

Red Witch (Aeili): “Three toes of newt, four camel eyelashes and a spoon of quicksilver!” says the red witch as she throws the objects into the bubbling cauldron.

Blue Witch (Telia): “A spoon of quicksilver? Do you not know it is poisonous, sister?” *she gives the red witch a surprised look*

“Not when I add a trickle of treacle and a dash of eyelash!” the red witch replies with an evil grin.

“Well trust is a must, will you taste or just fuss?” *she gives the red witch a challenging look with an eviller grin*

“Why, I am proud of my mix, or do you think I play tricks?” she replies with a boastful glare.

“Try, by all means, your delectable brew it seems.” *she snorts, with clear disbelief and gestures at the cauldron*

So the Red Witch added the ingredients to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped...

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Ah, like fine wine while one did dine!” she remarks while waving her hands around.

[Aeili drinks Potion: Barkskin]

“Sister, a misadventure? Your hair is not quite there!” *her eyes widen and she then holds back a laugh as she points at Aeili's hair*

“Like leaves of a vine! This hair is not mine!” she replies with a frown and a pout!

“A dollop of scallop, and the effect shall gallop.” *she nods, as if she can fix this*

“You gave me a jinx! It’s still poison, methinks.” she replies with a dubious expression.

“Really? You doubt my alchemical clout?” *she rolls her eyes, as clearly she must be the better witch*

So the blue witch added the slimy, grimy scallop to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped...

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Like the sound of a round, ground pound of hound!” *she exclaims and swallows the brew*

[Telia drinks Potion: Enlarge Person]

“Oh my, so high! Will you sprout wings, and fly?” she remarks amidst cackles of laughter!

“The dread to my head! Oh, to lay down on my bed!” *she looks down at herself and then looks dizzy, lying down on the floor*

“Sister, your height will cause fright! Oh the pangs of delight!” she says, continuing to laugh exuberantly the blue witch's misfortune!

“Oh no, the woe! I sink below. . .” *she moans, not appearing to feel too well!*

“Quick, the tongue of an adder! This will make me no madder.” she boasts and waves her arms around as if -she- knows what she is doing.

So the red witch added the split snake tongue to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! Like a dance with no pants, enhance!” she chants and incants a spell.

[Aeili casts Spell: Reduce Person]

“Ha, with a snort! Look at how short you are caught!” *she grins, jumping up and looks happy at how the brew now backfired on her witch-sister*

“By the gods! Two more sods from swampy bogs!” she retorts in horror, looking herself over very carefully.

“Sods of swampy bogs? Do you mean frogs, or logs?” *she looks at the red witch and then cackles*

“It matters not! It’s just a blot! Give what you’ve got!” she replies angrily, clearly not impressed with her sister's suggestion.

“Within time this will be mine! Just add lime and all will shine!” *she sounds confident that she knows exactly what this witch brew needs *

So the blue witch added the fine lime to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! I said no red or I’ll be dead!” *she exclaims and then swallows the witch brew*

[Telia drinks Potion: Elemental Shield]

“Ha, and look! The flame came all the same!” she cackles once more ias the blue witch erupts in a burst of fire!

“A bee’s knees, if you please! This has quite become a tease!” *she jumps back, looking a little frightened for a moment before collecting herself*

“No more the bore, sister, if I add four?” she taunts her with a malicious grin upon her face.

“Yes yes, for the best. Another test for the rest.” *she nods several times; this obviously requires a large amount of bee knees*

So the red witch added the four wee knees of the bees to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! No more glow, its not a show!” the red witch cries out, lifting her hands to incant another devious spell!

[Aeili casts Spell: Lesser Visage of the Deity]

“Ahhh! The light! It’s so bright! Why do you fight?” *she raises an arm up, to shield her eyes from the brightness Aeili emits*

“A gnome’s nose and a rose! That’s how it goes. . .” she replies in self-inflicted horror.

“Three ears of deers and a couple of beers? Will this not quell our fears?” *in a tone that suggests that it usually works!

“Sister, you are mean! Do it since you’re so keen!” she scoffs at her suggestion, placing her hands on her hips and looking unimpressed.

So the blue witch added the deers’ ears and beers to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! The last is past, what a farce!” *she seems self-certain and she swallows the brew, what could possibly go wrong?*

[Telia drinks Potion: Shapechange - Frost Giant]

“How gross, more than most! Uglier than I could boast!” she gloats with glee, mocking her sister!

“Oh the sight, filled with might! What a ghastly fright!” *show looks down at herself, surprised, clearly this was not how it was supposed to go*

“A touch of moss, just a toss. Mayhap enough to relieve your loss?” the red witch suggests in a snyde, taunting manner.

“Fine fine, I will not whine. This surely is the final sign.” *she looks at the brew, as if surely things cannot get any worse...*

So the red witch added the meagre moss to the bubbling cauldron, chanted the magic phrase, took the ladle to her mouth and sipped. . .

“Bubble bubble, cauldron of trouble! All is done, now for the fun!” she declares proudly with a wave of her hand and a flash of magic!

[Aeili casts Spell: Shapechange – Fire Giant]

“Oh ho, the rage! What a mage! Now who will ascend the stage?” *a wicked grin spreads on the frost giant's lips as she regards her witch-sister*

"Curse this brew, too! Forever am I stuck with you!" she remarks with extreme disappointment and a final dark brooding glare at her accomplice in witchery.

And so the two, twin witches lived the rest of their lives as giants in the dark old forest, in their dark old house, never again able to brew their bubbling, bubbling, bubbling, dark old potion.

[Grimcheese]

The reply arrives, in better condition than the last. It is oddly folded in what one could guess would be the shape of a flower. The proportions are off, though, as if the folder had somehow forgotten how to fold evenly and properly. A little A.A. is scribbled on one misshapen "petal".

The writing is more slanted than usual, but at least it's more legible than the previous letter that was sent. The periodic ink blots suggest that the writer has paused often.

---

Dear Aeili,


Thank you for writing to me. I am sorry if I do not write back very well and that my paper flower is not folded very well. It is hard to try to write a thing to you that looks okay when it is hard to move the quill to write because my hand hurts when I write. Pigeon said he can help but I think it is okay because I am getting better at writing when I feel sick.

There are many things you bring me that I try to read. I do not know if your books are helpful or are informative to me but I read them because you send them to me to read. I wish I know what the books read about and what a magic show is and what is a lecture and many things I do not know. There are many things I do not know and it is hard to ask what I want because it is hard to find the words.

Pigeon asks me to try to speak words without power but I try and the words stick and would not come out. I do not know why Pigeon asks me to try. It does not happen and I do not know why and when I try to think why I feel sick and my body hurts more than it does every day and I close my eyes and I stop thinking.

When I sleep and dream I do not remember everything in the dream but I remember pieces like little faces and big faces and many marks and hands and people screaming and lots of red and I wake up and I am very scared. I do not like the dreams and I do not know why I should feel happy to have the dreams. What is a dream that makes me happy?

What is a dream that makes you happy?

[Grimcheese]

Hidden: show

In a room overseen by an elderly gnome at times, a diary would rest alongside a brass-capped eagle-feather quill and a few gems: A beautiful, iridescent round stone, a small fire agate carved into the shape of a heart with meticulous perfection, and as of recently: a brilliant blue sapphire with a luminous white centre.

Today, the diary is open.

---

I am here for one month and five days and it is strange to be here. Many things are the same but are not the same. The faces are the same but are not the same. The metal they wear is the same but not the same. I do not know what to feel. Is this home?

When I am outside I feel alone. I talk to people but people make me feel scared and my chest becomes tight and I want to run away. I try to talk to the quill but the quill does not answer because I cannot make the words come out. I want to get better and I want to be as smart and wise as Crow and Nightingale and Blue Jay are smart and wise but I do not know.

The blue elf gave the lucky stone I gave to him back to me. He says it is because he is going to leave but I do not know if something bad happened to make him want to give it back. He says I will need the luck if I am going to be here and maybe he is right but it still makes me feel sad and alone.

I know that Nightingale is less fat but she eats the same thing that she ate before she became fat. She ate food that is strange to eat but she does not eat a lot of them even though she really wants them so I eat the rest. Since Nightingale stopped being fat Crow and Nightingale have a little person that says strange things and screams a lot and it makes my ears hurt and I try to hide. I do not know why they like the little person. I look at the little person and only remember when I was hurt.

At the very bottom, embracing the margin, is smaller print:

You were my only friend. Why did you hurt me?

[Grimcheese]

Dear Pigeon,


Today is the twenty-second day of Alturiak in the Year of the Arch. The moon today will be in a first-quarter phase when the right half of the moon is shining and the left half is dark and cannot be seen. I do not know why the moon appears in many different ways and the book that I am reading does not tell me why so I will read a book that tells me why.

I read a lot because I do not want to go outside but I do not want to stay inside. When I go outside everything feels the same but not the same and it makes me feel scared. It is still very cold and it makes me feel cold. When I stay inside the little person who screams a lot tries to scream at me and it makes my ears hurt and I close the door to my room and press my head to the walls and punch the walls with my hands so I do not hear the little person screaming at me. Many people I know who are nice or are friends are leaving or are not here anymore or have changed. I do not know what to feel about the new people but the one wearing red metal and liked a picture of a rook was nice and I gave him the wish-stone because he has a wish and I do not have a wish anymore.

The Cadwaldrs ate a lot of food with the Santraegers two weeks and three days ago. I do not know a lot about them or what they are talking about but they talk a lot about a place called Tethyr. I remember the man when I was hurt and he looked me over and he seemed nice but I was very sad and scared and it was hard to be nice to him. I remember the woman who made the sun fly and tried to make me feel happy but she felt very forceful like Julie and I felt scared the same way I felt scared when Julie tries. I do not know why the man says sorry when I am the one who feels sorry and I want to try back but I do not know how.

When I sleep I dream. The dreams are sometimes good like the one where I ate a lot of cooked mushrooms and drank a lot of hot chocolate with Ivan and Bear and Aeili and Jassin and Crow and Nightingale and Blue Jay and Eighteen when he was nice and many people whose names I do not remember anymore and they are nice and happy at me and it makes me feel happy. I also have bad dreams when the hands and paws are on me and they make my neck and eyes and mouth hurt and I try to cry but nothing comes out and I am in the snow and Eighteen hurts me and takes the book and the dead monster is cutting me open with a knife and I want to scream but the words do not come out and I wake and my chest feels very tight and cold and it hurts like they are burning my neck but the pain is in my chest instead of my neck.

I try to speak words without power and the words are stuck a lot but sometimes the words come out. Speaking is very hard and it hurts and I do not know why it is hard for me when it is not hard for you or the Cadwaldrs or everyone else. I do not know why people try to make me speak words without power when it is very hard and it hurts. It is like when people try to make me think of them as a friend when it means that they will leave one day and make me feel sad.

I do not know if you are happy or sad to read this but I hope it makes you happy to see me try.