Recent times have revealed a surge in criminal activities throughout the
lands. Crimes ranging from extortion, to blackmail, to outright highway
robbery have left their mark of corruption for at least the last two
years.

Adventurers began, albeit slowly, to realize that these were not
isolated incidents and that some coordinating had obviously occurred.
Certain leaders emerged as foci for the adventurers' investigations.

The adventurers learnt much, but shared little.

The criminals were apparently highly organised.

Their activities were most profitable in Shallam and Hashan where the
adventurers willingly handed over large sums of gold and facilitated the
criminals' operations in their cities.

They were less successful in Eleusis where the adventurers in that city
eschewed investigation in favor of brute force. The resulting death was
predictable - and with that wholesale slaughter perished all hope of
garnering any further information.

Cyrene was the most successful in stopping their criminals while still
gaining substantial information about their criminal operations, though
they did not pass much of it on to the adventurers of other cities.
Ashtan kept their criminals under control and actively sought out the
answers to not only their situation but others' as well, forming the
single most complete picture of what was happening and why.

Various successful operations were undertaken. The Shallamese and their
allies raided the hideout of the Morningcloaks in their region, stopping
the criminal activities but allowing the leader, Kelan Muk'tre, to get
away with most of his riches. The Eleusians, with some intriguing help
from the criminals, also infiltrated their regional hideout. Ashtan
succeeded in finally shutting down its criminal element as well.

When the dust settled, a mastermind calling herself Felisse emerged and
gloated over her victory via public pronouncements. She said that she
had needed a certain sum of gold and thanked the cities, mockingly, for
providing it (apparently through increased criminal activities across
the board). She claimed to have gotten her gold. Crime seems to have
gone back to undetectable levels.

The question remains: what did she need the gold for? Who is she and
where is she hiding? How widespread is this organisation of hers and,
will she be back?

As for the adventurers, while their efforts were admirable in one sense,
in another they have perhaps learned the lesson that violence will only
take you so far. When faced with a cunning adversary, one must be
cunning also.

Rare flashes of brilliance in this mainly bloody affair shall be
recounted in the posts that follow. Will the adventurers be more
prepared the next time they are threatened by a force as competent and
organised as this one? Or will they remain disorganised and
uncommunicative, attempting to resolve their problems via means most
pleasing to Lord Thoth, however ineffective?

Penned by my hand on the 17th of Daedalan, in the year 363 AF.