The Truth About “Duke Edgar Balliol”

Gods be good.

This is welcome news, Good Knight. Surely it shall be easier to sway the people against a Pretender than royal blood.

It does bear concern, however, that this news did not break earlier. In previous settlements that we have liberated, was anything of the sort intimated with the local leadership? It seems appropriate that we should have further discourse and investigation with the governance of Kladstone, Kradaw, Robyrn, Tavrick, and Trunrick then.

This sort of tracks with the account of our resident former blackguard, but that's her story to share, not mine.

Seeing what I've seen, I feel as though it would be entirely within the warlock's wheel house to install an entire puppet leadership.

Between this, Ser Tristram's possible resurgence, and the possible implications of Coast Haven's invasion of the Demon Barrows, there are machinations in place that we are only just starting to see.

-Lucky

Commodore,

I had the same thought. If people are being quietly replaced, how were they able to keep it a secret? I fear supernatural intervention may be at play but... magic strong enough to warp the minds of citizens across Kormyre...? Is such a thing possible? Or could it be that these pretend nobles holed themselves up without showing their faces to the public?

-Sir Odette D. Lucatiel

Most of the people of the realm have never met or even seen their nobles except at a distance; Travance is rather exceptional in the tendency of its nobles to live and work amongst the commonfolk on a daily basis. Some fancy clothes and a handful of people in soldiers' uniforms standing around them saying "this is the Lord" will go a long way. Cara once wore my hat for 10 minutes and several people who knew us both well initially assumed she was me, and we do not even look much alike.

Let's not forget that our Count hid a dead king from the world for 3 years. If Enzarond bribed or mind-controlled a few "advisors" they would cover any noticed discrepancies up rapidly.

It is quite possible some kind of supernatural force is helping all this along, but I do not think half the kingdom is under thrall - yet. It is simply not necessary to expend that level of power just to replace a handful of people.

I have plans already in motion that happen to line up with this - I will not share them here out of safety, but will message you privately. All I can say is that we are already working on a lead.

Lord Weaveforger,

Might you consider sharing this lead with others? I should like to look into this as well.