To Lord Edgar Gainsworth, Imperial Council Member
Lord Gainsworth,
I trust this letter finds you in good health. I write to you today regarding a matter that has recently come to my attention—one that could disrupt the delicate balance of our empire.
I speak, of course, of Lord Lucian Veilwood of Duskwatch.
A name that, until recently, meant nothing.
Now, however, it is being spoken in noble halls, military camps, and—most concerningly—within the Emperor’s court itself.
This cannot be ignored.
When I first heard of Veilwood’s "accomplishments," I assumed them to be exaggerated merchant gossip.
Consider the absurdity of it:
- A minor noble with no experience, no military background, and no political ties.
- Governing a worthless province.
- Who abolished taxes, removed oversight, and let his people ‘govern themselves.’
By all logic, Duskwatch should have collapsed within weeks.
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Instead, it thrives.
Exports have tripled.
Crime has vanished.
The Mercenary King himself now protects the region.
A lawless border town is now outperforming imperial cities.
And no one can explain why.
At first, I dismissed this as luck. A fool who happened to stumble into fortune.
But then I read Duke Reinhardt’s latest reports.
- Veilwood refuses alliances yet keeps gaining power.
- He is feared by spies yet does nothing to stop them.
- His people worship him, yet he makes no effort to secure their loyalty.
It defies reason.
I thought perhaps he was a pawn, controlled by a hidden hand. But no faction, no foreign power, no imperial noble stands behind him.
He is an anomaly.
And anomalies are dangerous.
This "Lazy Lord" is no mere curiosity.
If his influence spreads, other provinces will question their own lords.
What happens when the merchant guilds start demanding tax reform?
What happens when soldiers start questioning imperial bureaucracy?
What happens when the Emperor begins to see him as an alternative?
I refuse to wait and find out.
Lord Gainsworth, we must move swiftly and subtly.
- The Emperor is watching him. A direct attack would draw too much attention.
- We must weaken him politically, not militarily.
- We must turn the empire against him before he turns it against us.
I will reach out to my contacts.
If Veilwood is a fool, we will expose him.
If he is a manipulator, we will outmaneuver him.
But if he is truly what these rumors claim him to be…
Then we must destroy him before it is too late.
Count Orlin Devereaux