Health and soul to you too, friend.

I am delighted in your enjoyment of the book, few notice how much effort goes into putting information together in a comprehensible fashion after researching it, writing these books have certainly given me a newfound admiration for any academic book that manages to be structured well enough for me to not want to pull out my hair when reading it, proper structure is difficult and not a skill taught by scholars of any kind that I've known. Needless to say it is a facet of this venture that very few ever even notice, so I can't thank you enough for pointing out how much you liked it. I take it you are a writer yourself? Perhaps we could exchange ideas regarding this matter further in conversation if you'd be so inclined.

I've received several letters regarding the whereabouts of the subject of my book, for a variety of reasons, some making some pretty bold claims if I may say so myself. I don't respond to these letters, they are amusing but ultimately they do not matter for a single reason: I will not disclose any more than I did in my book. You mentioned I have not published any more when you asked if you could learn more, and I'm sure you can make the connection yourself. This venture was my last, writing this book was difficult, researching it was a part of my life that is quite painful for me to relive, and for all intents and purposes I no longer research or write about legends, myths, historical heroes, battles, so on and so forth. I keep hoping someone will take up the mantle but I do wonder if it will be within my lifetime. But I digress, my point is this: it is a difficult subject that I not only do not wish to discuss any further but I also am to a degree afraid of doing so, this is not a beast I wish disturbed if I'm to be honest.

That being said, not only am I responding to your letter but I am agreeing to your meeting under the pretense of potentially discussing this further. But I do wish to explain myself, there are a few reasons why I am choosing to do this, but rather than numbering them I will elaborate further on this subject itself.

There is a recurring pattern in my research: which is that even the tales told in hushed whispers, as if they were heretic prophecies of some sort, are still riddled with exaggerations when they regard events that actually occurred, and more often than not the events that these tales tell never even took place. There are notable exceptions to this of course. Harrit "Ironclad" Wart, the northlander from the battle of the Halmdanmed Bridge did come back with twenty three arrow wounds, and there is no reason to not believe he deflected fifty, maybe a hundred with his shield considering the state it was, so as much as one would like to believe that the legendary warrior that made northlanders wield shields in the first place is an exaggerated myth - as northlander tales tend to be - this was true as far as my research went. And I trust my research, and I'm inclined to believe so do you.

Harrit is an exception, and exceptions are called exceptions in this case for a very solid reason: I can tell you with no fear of being untruthful that if I am to try to be partial towards exceptions, I can only say about one in five hundred to seven hundred of the tales, myths and legends I collect and investigate are even half truths. Most are much more tame acts that were made more awe inspiring through word of mouth, religious beliefs, attempts to inspire troops, made into tales to scare children or those in debt, there are as many reasons as there are tales. Others are simply creations, tales that some decided were true or were fooled into believing they were.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

That being said, I spent time with this.. "man", this Black Knight from my book, I traveled with him for a number of seasons, and I must once again remind you of how much criticism and and how many inflamed reviews I've received in the past for my cynicism and my unwavering stance of not ever, even once, giving things the benefit of the doubt for that goes against the very baseline idea of historical record. But this man, I saw his naked body and it was lined with more scarred tissue than skin, I saw him.. slaying men and beast alike. There was a cold calculation to his method, he was cruel only enough for the cruelty to inspire enough fear for the next target to be easier to slay, he wished to be feared only enough to come and go as he pleased. This is not to say he was cruel in moderation, I thought myself hardened to the horrors of slaughter but the things I saw this man do haunts me still. And to be quite honest, professionally honest about my most thorough analysis of not only this man but of the sites of his myths - more honest than I were in my book in fact - when you hear the tale of the Devil Of the Battlefield that alone killed seventy men in the clearing, bathing the grass in blood and guts, having those damned Rubri flowers bloom with its poisonous thorns and bulbs from it's viscera fed roots, a hallowed site of the heretical God Sanguis born from the slaughter of a single man.. rather than questioning whether he truly did it alone or if it really were seventy men, I'd be more inclined to double that number.

And part of the reason I consider talking about this to you is that I simply feel like I need to talk about this. The other part is that I am very interested in your claims, they are bold but they lack the arrogance of a lie if I may be so honest, and as much as this does not mean I agree with you, it means I am willing to hear more.

Considering what I just mentioned, I will put telling you this man's location or how I located him off the table. He does not wish to be found and I do not wish him found any more than he does. But nonetheless I will meet you, we may discuss this wherever you wish but as for the place for a first meeting I suggest a wayside inn that goes by the name of Drifter's Edge, it sits on the city of Lindgry, on the outskirts of the Talmud kingdom. I'm sure you'll have no problem reaching it and I'm sure we'd both appreciate the privacy.

One note, however, do dress for the occasion. As a matter of safety rather than etiquette, if you understand what I mean.

Take as long as you'd like, I'll be around the bar after sunset for the next month or so, if you do not come I'll assume you've changed your mind.

Yours truly, Hon of Lenfell

…

A tired quill is put to rest, having written countless versions of the same letter.

A tired back leans against the chair, eyes gazing with no clear purpose into the ceiling.

A tired sigh echoes through the room, of those that suggest discomfort, perhaps regret.