Two days after 'Washed Ashore' was presented.

“Upon review, I should have been more thorough in my previous notes. I repeatedly mentioned Hunters, but never their Chapter. Nor did I do well describing where things took place, such as when I mentioned the Seat without specifying it was the New Seat, on Council’s Bridge, not the old one in Blackseat.

 

“That changes now.

 

“After what happened at the Dome of Eyes, the Hunters of the Watchful Gaze, led by Speaker Bertram, set out and recorded every single poster’s placement. They went from Blackseat and Council’s Bridge to the eating houses and recreational areas of Sprawling, the Museum of the Hunt in Easpill, and every other location I neglected to mention even in passing. They compared these to where Gregory and Abigail lived, in the Mazesmith part of Sprawling, and found it impossible for someone to move unseen through the streets from there to the posters’ locations.

 

“Then they took the Dome into account, and concluded the cloaked culprit must be an excellent climber. They started tracing rooftops, studying pathways you would normally never consider, and found that every poster’s location could be reached by climbing atop the roofs of Shrubs, at the food forest’s edge, and going from building to building from there.

 

“And so, the Watchful Gaze descended on the food forest, scouring the woods until they found an old, long-abandoned storage space, too close to the Ea and tainted by its water seeping through the ground. There, they came across a rickety printing press, a collection of identically damaged fonts, a store of ink, and paper eaten at by mould and bugs.

 

“But they found no people.

 

“It has left the others and I uneasy. Peter is constantly nervous, going in circles about every problem he runs into. Jay has started isolating themself, spending almost all their time in their room. Lou up and left Fenblith, leaving me scrambling to find a new artist and delaying the release of ‘Washed Ashore’ by two weeks, allowing for six weeks of production instead of the planned four. Speaker River was annoyed with that, but the quality of the work delivered by Iva and their friend and assistant Camilla seems to have appeased them, even if they sometimes remark on the two living in Gayetown, ‘with the other misfits.’

 

“That last thing may turn out to be a blessing, though. It has been two days since we released ‘Washed Ashore’, and although there have been no posters, we know the people behind them are still out there. And thanks to Iva, I know there have been whispers of discontent in Gayetown that merit an investigation.

 

“I’m going to go there tomorrow.”

12. 23rd of Hehgimm, 125 AS

Two days after 'In the Wall' was presented.

“I have a confession to make. I’m not sure who I am confessing to; these notes are for my use only. And yet, I tried to gloss over something last week.

 

“I myself am the most uneasy of all.

 

“Lou left, sure, and Jay has not been themself for some time. Peter saw what happened in the Dome, but in his own neurotic way, he’s coping. But I… I was this close to Abigail and Gregory. I snuck around their home for days on end. Had they seen me, fresh from their worship of the Dark Ones, what would have become of me?

 

“And then there’s how Abigail died. Or more precisely: how violently and quickly the Hunters who were guarding her died. The person who did that is still out there, and here I am, sending myself on their trail entirely of my own accord. Speaker River doesn’t even expect me to investigate anymore!

 

“My trip to Gayetown proved useless, to boot. The locals realised who I was and shut down. I imagine my demeanour made me stand out. I am fully paranoid. I now recognise I started adding more details to my notes in case something happens to me, which chills me to write down.

 

“However, something has happened that does warrant recording.

 

“Speaker River informed me this afternoon that banners were found in the food forest this morning, along the Ea’s banks. They called out the way ‘In the Wall’ mocked the Riestater’s sexism, which I find silly, and the way we sometimes called the rooms ‘cells’. We were accused of making edits to insult Riestaten. I can’t quote directly: the Hunters of the Watchful Gaze destroyed the banners before too many people could see them.

 

“It’s ironic, really. We’ve made edits. Not just to make a story flow a little better or to make a description a little more captivating, but also to make the Hunters a little more impressive and our allies a little less so. But the word ‘cell’ was very much in the original report. We left it in on purpose, yes, but we did not put it in.

 

“Still, it’s good to note that people are watching for edits.

 

“As to the banners, I understand they were made of jute, almost certainly from Cleathad. The letters were not so much painted as they were glued, a mixture of ink, some sort of resin, and grain used to shape them. Whether the grain was from Riestaten, who shall say, but the imagery of Cleathad and Riestaten unified in protest against Fenblith is far from lost on me, nor are the parallels with the posters.

 

“They aren’t lost on the Watchful Gaze, either. Add to this that the symbolic choices made by the creators feel like those of an artist and that they were hung in places easy to reach from Gayetown, and the ‘misfits’ have become very suspect. I myself am sceptical – I can’t see the average artist take down Hunters, and someone could easily have done this to implicate them as a diversion –, but the Hunters have increased their presence near the gate, and I must say that Gayetown’s proximity to the hidden printing press raises some questions.

 

“For now, however, I’m going to stay on this side of Fenblith. I’ll keep recording things – you never know what might turn out to be useful –, but I don’t have to get myself in deep, do I?”

13. 31st of Hehgimm, 125 AS

Three days after 'The Long Run' was presented.

“I postponed writing it down in fear of jinxing it, but it’s been three days since presenting ‘The Long Run’ and there have been no posters, banners, or anything similar.

 

“Which isn’t to say I haven’t been busy.

 

“I’ve divided my time between Iva and Peter. Let’s start with the former. With all the work she has to do, she doesn’t spend much time in Gayetown, but Camilla still does, and is passing down news.

 

“Apparently, the entire neighbourhood is lying low due to the increased presence of the Watchful Gaze. There have been fewer of the usual acts of vandalism and public disturbance, which is good. But there have also been fewer spontaneous performances and art pieces. There are whispers of some sort of ode to Hunters being dreamt up in hopes of getting them off their backs a little. I can’t imagine it’ll work, but I get it.

 

“As to Peter, he’s been having a difficult few days. ‘The Long Run’ seems to have served less as a showcase of the Hunters’ endurance and more as fuel for prejudice against Modlanders. Not that anything has happened, mind, but Peter is well-connected and has heard complaints from quite a few Modlanders about mean-spirited jokes and remarks. Conversely, alluding to what happened in Dunemond has also fed into animosity from some Modlanders towards the Council and its agents in general and Peter and me in particular.

 

“We were afraid something like this might happen. Modland’s neighbours unanimously view the Death of Dunemond as a necessary evil. There are those in Modland, however, who still maintain that the Hunters went too far, those almost eighty years ago, and I can’t say I don’t get it.

 

“That left us caught in the middle. Either we shared reports of the Death of Dunemond, which would ruin a lot of what we are trying to achieve with From the Bay of Fangs. Or we ignored it, which simply can’t be done, as anyone with a passing interest in history in general or Modland in particular knows it happened. Only alluding to it seemed the best option, but it puts us in the awkward position of clearly knowing what happened but not discussing it.

 

“Between the fraught tension in Gayetown and the brewing discontent of the Modlanders, I’m almost wishing for another poster to catch everyone’s attention.”

14. 37th of Hehgimm, 125AS

Two days after 'Cracked Hooves' was presented.

“I am… Hopeful? Yes, that’s the word: hopeful. It’s been a while.

 

“There has still been no poster, and tensions have cooled. Aside from a few diplomats from Biaupier grumbling a little at the way the Nobles were portrayed, everyone seems to have enjoyed ‘Cracked Hooves’, to the point that it has brought people closer together. There’s a joy in a Master Hunter carving through a Beast. And that Master Hunter being Saint Elisha always scores.

 

“Gayetown has seized the opportunity admirably. The artists had been working on a massive sculpture of iron struck into shapes reminiscent of Hunters’ sabres. After the presentation two days ago, they apparently decided to quickly bang out a few horseshoes, too. A funny idea, really: those were the first horseshoes made in Fenblith in centuries.

 

“The thing is: the piece seems to be doing its job. It was revealed in Gayetown’s heart this morning, and Camilla reports the Watchful Gaze has been keeping one eye shut all day. Something of the neighbourhood’s old spontaneity is tentatively returning, the artists testing the limits of the Hunters’ tolerance.

 

“I have to say, though: as happy as I am for the people of Gayetown, and as impressed as I am at their ingenuity… I’m surprised that the Hunters were so easily swayed, and it doesn’t feel good that they were. They are supposed to be heroes, people raised above the daily concerns of life to overcome the Dark Ones themselves. I’m aware I’m just parroting the mission statement Speaker River gave me for From the Bay of Fangs here, and I know the Hunters are just people. But they’re formidable people. Deadly people. I kind of hoped they’d be firm and steadfast people, too.

 

“Still, I am hopeful. Perhaps whoever was behind the posters really was scared off, maybe not by the Hunters themselves but by the fact they had unknowingly worked with Darkhearts. And perhaps the banners really were a one-time action by some rebellious artist who’s since learned their lesson. Who knows, maybe we can just enjoy creating From the Bay of Fangs the way we were supposed to.”

15. 2nd of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'Preserve and Protect' was presented.

“I am a child and a fool.

 

“It turns out that, in the absence of posters, some people will start looking for issues themselves. First and foremost the fact that Saint Nnamdi – foundational Saint for the Deck Hands Chapter and considered a spiritual successor to Saint bloody Margaret herself – sacrificed himself ‘unnecessarily’ when he tried to save his subordinate’s life. They’re saying the Hunters are too obsessed with glory, ending their lives in blazes worth remembering rather than staying alive to help more people.

 

“I’ve been doubting myself, circling in my worries and wondering if I should be steering Peter towards different stories. Many of them show the Hunters to be flawed, after all, and despite Peter constantly repeating that their flaws are what make them compelling as heroes, I worry that we’re giving our enemies ammunition.

 

“But now I feel like I should stop worrying, because people will always find something. Mack was in the water! Unconscious! And Nnamdi did everything right to save him and stay alive!

 

“...

 

“I took a walk to calm myself. It worked, mainly because I caught a few conversations about ‘Preserve and Protect’ and was even approached about it twice. Most people did like it, and have found a new reverence for Saint Nnamdi. All my focusing on the posters and the people behind them and the artists and the complaints has led me to forget that the vast majority of people are loving the presentations. From the Bay of Fangs is doing its job.

 

“However, I also saw some Hunters out in full gear. Not members of the Watchful Gaze, patrolling the streets. Not even members of the Deck Hands, leaving Easpill to celebrate their Saint enjoying a surge in popularity.

 

“No, these were members of the First, strutting about, trying to catch people’s eyes. I even saw a group accepting an offering by a member of the Church of the Hunt. They weren’t arrogant about it, or anything; it felt more like tolerating someone misguided who really needed the exchange.

 

“But this behaviour won’t help debunk the claim that Hunters are out for personal glory.”

16. 9th of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'Weeping Willow' was presented.

“We messed up by releasing ‘Weeping Willow’ after what happened three weeks ago. The jokes and remarks against Modlanders have turned to insults and threats. A Maintainer originally from Modland even took some hefty abuse, culminating in a bottle being thrown at his head, while trying to break up a fight at an apple turnover stall – its Cooker also Modlands, of course.

 

“Thankfully, the bottle missed and the thrower was apprehended by bystanders immediately, underscoring that most people in Fenblith are still sane. But the incident stands as a marker of a worsening mood, as if tension is brewing and people are desperate for something to release it, even if that something is awful, and violent.

 

“I’m going to lobby Speaker River to scratch the third Modland release, right now. It’s three weeks away, I’m sure we can find and record some alternative story before then!

 

“...

 

“They refused, stating each story was carefully curated, and changing one now would be ‘kowtowing to the foolish side of Fenblith.’ Peter is, obviously, distraught. It’s his voice to the stories, and he has many more Modlander friends than I do. All we can do now is hope that next week will shift attention back to Biaupier Nobles, who can’t be found in Fenblith and can thus be harmlessly maligned, insofar as that’s a thing. And then… we hope next time won’t be as bad.

 

“This is not what either of us signed up for. I’d say the same for Jay, but I hardly speak to them anymore. At least Iva and Camilla are doing well, working on their illustrations. They have been very focused, as if trying to deal with all the tension through labour. Camilla mentioned not feeling fully comfortable in Gayetown, though. The Hunters have relented a little, but the atmosphere feels… performative, and not in the fun way. As if people are trying to hide something…”

17. 16th of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'Judge Me Not' was presented.

“Attention has been shifted away from Modlanders, but not in any way we would have wanted. Piles of papers that look eerily like official Council documents have been spread throughout Fenblith. In Sprawling, every eat house and stall has papers discussing how much food each vocation has a right to, emphasising people getting as little as possible. In Smithing, discarded pieces of metal were wrapped in trade agreements with the towns Fenblith gets its metal from, supplemented with petitions from said towns to let up in our demands. Weaving was the same, with letters from Cleathad detailing the horrid conditions there, rumors of which are spreading wildly through town. Blackseat saw papers deriding the willingness of Hunters to die for profit, and Council’s Bridge itself was stacked with reports of deaths, in all vocations, caused by greed.

 

“What makes matters even worse is that there were also papers comparing the Council to the Governors of Ontemoux and the rest of us to the commoners. This means that the people behind this almost certainly knew what story we were telling in advance, which makes my skin crawl.

 

“There’s also the matter of how it is possible for this many pieces of… let’s call it protest art, to be spread throughout the City without anyone noticing. Reports from Maintainers and patrolling Hunters from the Watchful Gaze suggest that all was normal until the first light of dawn, after which the sun seemingly jumped above the horizon, time passing in an instant, art appearing everywhere as it did. It doesn’t take much to think about the Nightmare in this scenario, and the tension I have described has risen to a breaking point, with many people besides myself now scared and suspicious to the point of paranoia.

 

“One thing is clear, though. The people behind this action, like the one with the banners, have some strong artistic sensibilities, and so Speaker Bertram has not only sent the Watchful Gaze to Gayetown in as large a force as possible, he has asked for the First to join them. And the Grand Master has obliged.”

18. 23rd of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'Unbroken' was presented.

“Things are grim. Gayetown has been trodded into the ground. Well, not literally, but…

 

“The Watchful Gaze swept in, led by Speaker Bertram, who was flanked by members of the First. They tore through the neighbourhood, forcing artists to show them every nook and cranny of their workshops, pulling people from their beds to interrogate them. Unconfirmed stories suggest some of them even got violent when people were uncooperative. It’s a legal grey area, as there is evidence that the people behind the posters and the art are Darkhearts, giving the Hunters a lot of leeway in finding them, but these rumors aren’t helping quell the sentiments of some Fenblithians that Hunters are… Something is happening outside.

 

“...

 

“Spirits and Saints, that was awful. A few Smithers originally from Serncar, inspired by the papers found in Smithing, decided to stage a protest of their own. They lobbed broken hammer heads over Blackseat’s wall, all the while shouting things like ‘Everything Breaks’ and ‘Here’s a Hammerblow for you.’ The intent was obviously to mock the Hammers of the Mountain, who featured heavily in yesterday’s release and who aren’t fully beloved in Serncar.

 

“However, some of the Hunters’ children were playing on the inside of the wall, and one of them was hit in the head. That’s not something any parent would accept peacefully, but a Hunter – especially one of the First – bursting out of Blackseat with deadly intent is a terrifying sight indeed. The protesters tried to run, but they were stopped by devotees of the Church of the Hunt, who had come to investigate the commotion after it disturbed their prayers.

 

“As a result, the Hunter whose child was injured got her hands on the protesters, and although she had the clarity of mind not to kill them, they took quite the beating before Maintainers arrived to take them in.

 

“And to think I was writing about sentiments that some Hunters are becoming tools of oppression in the hands of the Council. And to think the Hunters didn’t even find anything in Gayetown.”

19. 30th of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'A Dance with Death' was presented.

“Fenblith holds its breath, waiting for what will happen next. I begged Speaker River to allow for a break in From the Bay of Fangs. Tensions keep rising, and as much as I am proud of my work, it simply can’t go on like this.

 

“I was categorically refused. They emphasised that the Council of Fenblith has promoted From the Bay of Fangs the world over, has promised the entire global network fifty Hunts, and has invited countless dignitaries to visit and hear what I’ve helped create. Nothing I said made an impression, and I was eventually all but tossed out of their office.

 

“It’s been two weeks since the city was covered in papers. The Hunters continue to be present in Gayetown, monitoring everything. It has made them distinctly unpopular among the artists of the city, Iva and Camilla attest. However, much of the rest of Fenblith seems pleased that their Protecters are so vigilant. Some have even taken to thanking Hunters and Maintainers on patrol, as well as visiting working Healers to give them thanks.

 

“Much of the rest of Fenblith seems pleased, but not all.

 

“Our local Serncarian community has petitioned the Council to strip the Hunter who attacked last week’s protestors of her Rank and oust her from her vocation. Speaker Bertram will hear none of it, nor will Speaker River, but the other two Speakers have been noticeably hesitant to comment publicly.

 

“People have also been demanding recognition of the living conditions in Cleathad. Some have even suggested a boycott, demanding Weaving refuse to work with Cleathad jute until the Council promises to do what it can to better the lives of those who made it. The Council has not responded.

 

“Nor has it responded to demands for insight into what it did or didn’t do in Riestaten some sixty to eighty years ago. Apparently a few Riestaters have been whispering that the Riestater Revolution was not just funded but orchestrated by the Council of Fenblith. A silly suggestion, but one that adds more wood to the pyre.

 

“At least the Modlanders haven’t been further maligned by yesterday’s release. In fact, several of them have been maligning the Hunters, pointing out that they were all too willing to work with mysterious powers when they were desperate, despite condemning Dunemond and Grienteen for doing the same. There’s not much to delve into there, though: the mound the Hunters found was mysteriously gone when the Fenblithians returned to Hellebosch.

 

“One more week, then we’re going into another release pause. Who knows, maybe, if we get through it, we’ll be able to find a way to calm everyone down again.”

20. 37th of Scaebyrd, 125 AS

The day after 'Flight of the Damned' was presented.

“‘The Dark Truth is we are back. Clearly, the people do not need us to realise what is wrong. We will help them just the same.’

 

“That’s what they read. The posters spread across Fenblith.

 

“Tension had been building all week. Serncarians put down their tools and walked out of Smithing. There was a failed attempt to destroy a shipment of jute from Cleathad, halfway between Easpill and Weaving, only prevented by sharp-eyed Maintainers. Quite a number of Riestaters have begun wearing pre-Revolution garb, explaining they refuse to go along with the Council’s design for their homeland. The Modlanders continue accusing the Hunters of using the power of the Dark Ones when it suits them. The Hunters themselves managed to ignore them, but the believers of the Church of the Hunt are less disciplined, and there have been several shouting matches and even a few physical fights concerning the Hunters’ integrity.

 

“Then we woke this morning to a city full of posters.

 

“It was as with the protest art three weeks ago. All night it was quiet, then at the break of dawn the sun seemed to jerk above the horizon, and those who had been walking the streets found it suddenly filled with posters.

 

“They use a variety of fonts, inks, and types of paper. I can draw no other conclusion than that they come from several hidden printers, meaning hunting one down won’t do anything to keep posters from flowing from the others. The repetition of their mysterious appearance worries me, too. I keep thinking back on the Nightmare, and the way its presence made it seem as if the night had suddenly rushed past. It suggests dark abilities, and yet they killed Abigail not only to silence her, but to punish her for turning out to be a Darkheart.

 

“Is that what that was? Perhaps they were trying to misdirect us, so that when this stage of their plan unfolded, we would be less ready to accuse them of worshipping the Dark Ones? That doesn’t make sense to me. Writing a letter claiming you are not a murderer before leaving your signature next to a corpse wouldn’t be much of a misdirect. Dare I think that this was something more… nuanced? Perhaps the claim was not that they have nothing to do with using the powers of the Dark Ones, but that doing so does not make them Darkhearts? Spirits, what I wouldn’t give to know more about these people.

 

“...

 

“I read that last sentence back a dozen times and I found it to be true. I’m still scared, I have no issue admitting that, but… Sitting here in my room, recounting the news and rumours I’ve heard from people equally or even more in the dark than I has been worse.

 

“In all honesty: this renewed resolve is quite the relief. Speaker River has asked me to investigate once more, giving me a lot more freedom and resources in my pursuit. After all, I was the one to identify Gregory and Abigail, which is also what led to finding the original printer. Moreover, the Hunters are currently under increased scrutiny, and so far their brand of investigation has resulted in little other than anger from the people they are investigating. I suppose it makes sense: the Hunters are warriors, not investigators, and even the Watchful Gaze, who live and breathe Fenblith, are trained to track and kill Beasts and Darkhearts, not to investigate crimes or deal with an angry populace. That’s the Maintainers, and they are stretched so thin you can see straight through them, their list of tasks having grown along with the city and its population, to the point some people feel they should have their own fifth segment in the Council, complete with their very own Speaker.

 

“And so, it’ll be me. Perversely, I’m happy. The past weeks have been horrid, I am realising more and more as I write this. Tension lighting up around me while I do nothing but try to continue making stories that end up feeding the fire half the time, and doing so with a despondent Peter, an isolated Jay, and Iva and Camilla torn between the project and the things happening to their friends. The next few weeks will be spent preparing yet more stories – Speaker River has made it very clear that is nonnegotiable, as failing to fulfill our promise of fifty stories would be a global embarrassment –, but… I’ll also be doing some digging.

 

“Let’s find out what the Dark Truth really is.”