Nathaniel's Letter

To the brave and noble paladins that have destroyed parts of my keep I, Nathaniel, presently of this mangy group of privateers do send greetings.

First I wanted to express my sincere thanks to you for your defeat of the aboleth. Keeping my plans from it had turned into quite a pain, and finding ways to manipulate my controlled lieutenants without letting on what was happening was getting increasingly complex.

I hope you forgive me my mild deception earlier. If I had let on that I actually knew of the aboleth's presence it would have foiled years of effort should you have failed in your endeavor. As it now stands, it will still take me years to recover from this setback, but at least now I don't have to hide my movements from something living a few hundred feet beneath my feet.

That having all been said, let us dispense with further pleasantries and get on to business. If you found this letter it means that you are bent on destroying my organization and have come after me specifically.

Suffice it to say, I must discourage you in this as it would cause me great inconvenience if you were to cause further damage to my facilities. The loss of our portal and our means of getting another one temporarily means that if we take sufficient damage we must turn our attention to the Land of the Five Rivers to restock our supplies and build our strength. I would prefer that we could avoid that eventuality given how close we are to their shores, but if we are sufficiently crippled then I am afraid to say we won't have a choice but to take what we can get while we reattain the capacity to go farther afield. I am sure you understand.

If you persist, I should warn you that you will die. Not even, I will note, by the hands of my crew. There are still perils in this keep that you have yet to unlock. Suffice it to say: This place was built thousands of years before my time for a purpose, and ultimately some seals are better left closed.

Yet I realize you are mostly Paladins. Thoughts of death do not scare you. So I offer you this carrot as well: I am leaving the island for a sort of business trip. If, when I return, I find that you have left without attempting further devastation, I will ensure that the last piece of a certain artifact ends up in your hands.

I look forward to returning to my keep to find it in a better state than when I left it. Thank you for your considerations in this matter, and I hope we can do business again in the future.

Sincerely,
Nathaniel