Dendi Ratis

[Bobtheduck]

To whom it may concern.

Boliki ta pasuke. My name is Dendi Ratis. You may have heard my name in the latest issue of the Gregora Newsworthy. I wrote the article on the candy drop

While I'm sure many consider it a fluff piece, it still involves a piece of important history not only for those who live on Keigos, but for every Vinhite, as they may exist out there somewhere. This is a holiday celebrated faithfully by Gregorahite and Keigoshite alike, indeed by everyone who left Vinka those many years ago, yet not many know the whole story behind it.

A week after the article appeared in the paper, my mailbox overflowed with mail. If I didn't have a special arrangement with the post office, and if some of them hadn't been at least kind enough to pay for postage themselves, I would never have been able to read the vast majority of those letters. My line of work has never been associated with wealth.

I was shocked at the response. Many people were certain I was outright inventing certain details, but those that believed me still seemed to know nothing of this event that is supposed to be so close to every Vinkan's heart. There is an overwhelming ignorance of history, and it is unsettling to me. I believe the only way we can improve as a society is to learn from the past, and I believe we are, as a whole, utterly inadequate at this. This is not to say the information doesn't exist. If I were a suspicious man, I would say that information had been actively kept from us, but I learned with the candy drop article that we need only look hard enough and we'll find everything we need.

This is why I have a proposal to make. Your company seems to be the best source of History outside of my travels and interviews that I have found. This shows that, while I feel even with your books, we are woefully inadequate, your group has the right heart, united in the same purpose as mine. You can cross reference my facts, if you would like, and you will find I am diligent and thorough. I would like your support for a history book. Not simply one that builds on previous books, but one that searches the truth where it may be found. You may assign other travelers to me, or allow me to travel on my own. There is a wealth of knowledge to be procured from this place. As a Ratis, I am even able to venture into places many Gregorahite are not allowed. Because I am part of the head family, I have sway with those Ratis in Keigos.

I await your response, with optimism and excitement at the opportunity to banish this terrible ignorance that has plagued the average Gregorahite. Please send your response in the form of a letter only, unless you are willing to pay for postage yourself. I cannot afford a package, and I would regretfully be forced to send it back to you and you would pay the penalty, as so many of the letter writers unfortunately learned.

Sincerely yours,

Dendi Ratis

(Just to explain... This is a side story for my novels. I know I can't publish actual novel material online like this, but I wanted some practice where people would be able to see it. This will be letter communication between a minor character and his publishers, detailing some history and things that won't likely make it into the books, or if it does, it won't be the same... History is never told perfectly, after all)

[Bobtheduck]

Dear Mr. Ratis.

My name is Babin Trongos. I am head editor at Ŕhuimaix Bitlan. I have discussed your letter with my whole staff. Thank you for your letter, though we do feel a bit falsely accused when you suggested we were "woefully inadequate." We can only truly trust what we have recorded already, though we are all willing to accept we may not have been able to delve into the kind of sources you have access to. If only due to your family, we would be unwise not to accept you into our company. We are certain, and even mentioned so in some of our books (for instance, page 353 of "Gorugos II") that much of what we know is taken only from Gregoran sources, and the events of that book formed the early basis for the conflict that now exists between Gregora and Keigos. We attempted to make contacts in Keigos territory, but have been unsuccessful for many years. If you were able to solve this problem for us, we would be greatly appreciative.

To be honest, if your letter had come from any other source, we would have likely ignored you. On one hand, you appeared to be very polite in some aspects of your letter, but we do not feel as if you truly have the right to critique our work, given the only credit to your name was, as you rather correctly put it, a "fluff piece" for a magazine. It is surprising how much confidence you appear to have, that you can be so blunt when you are asking for a job. Due to the prospect of gaining access to Keigos territory, and the enormous advantage that would provide to our research, however, we decided to carefully read your article. We, of course, knew the ritual had its basis in history, but we were actually unaware of some of the details you mentioned. We contacted some of your sources and were able to find several things we will be adding to future editions of our books.

We must warn you that our researchers can be gone for weeks at a time, and sometimes even months. This job is not something to be taken lightly. You did not mention whether you had any family in your letter. The job of a historian, particularly our historians, is not simply to regurgitate information found in books already published. Granted, I believe you have shown an understanding of that fact in your letter, but I must ask you to thoughtfully consider what taking a job with us will mean to your family and social life. I am certain you understand the dangers, too, of being from Gregoran territory and venturing into Keigos territory, or even being in Avadi, Pase, or 'lam. In fact, you may even be safer directly inside of Keigos territory than in Avadi or Pase, due to the persistent unrest in those places. Our researchers avoid them outright, and have only traveled to 'lam in order to catch merchants who may be able to aid us in our research.

If you have domestic sources from which you can glean that we have not reached, please use those first. However, your employment here is contingent on your ability to go into Keigos territory. We will be expecting you to go there at some point. We cannot guarantee your safety or even insure your life for the trip, if you decide to take the position. No insurance agency would do so, either. This is precisely why we ask you consider any social or family obligations you may have before taking the position here. In fact, if you have children, we will be very hesitant to allow you to join our staff, despite how advantageous it would be to us.

With these things in mind, we hope to hear back from you. I, personally, would like to add that we would always pay our own postage when we hope to have gains from the delivery of the letter. It is always in the interest of those sending letters and packages to pay themselves, as many of our readers have unfortunately discovered.

Sincerely,
Babin Trongos,
Editor-in-chief, Ŕhuimaix Bitlan

[Bobtheduck]

Dear Mr Trongos,

I would first like to apologize if I came off as rude or arrogant in my first letter. I thank you for the opportunity you provided me, and I hope to begin as soon as possible. I am normally a very polite person, but I also take history very seriously, and have personal reasons for this. Indeed, the very fact you pull only from Gregoran sources is the source of your limits, and nothing related to your research methods. This is where I hope to be a great help.

I will be upfront. I have never been to Keigos territory, or even to Avadi, Pase, or 'lam. I do, however, speak old Vinkan fluently, and I'm familiar with Keigos dialects, particularly Salhain dialect. This should prove to be a great asset to our mutual goals. Granted, there is no need for me to further advertise myself.

You ask if I have any family. I am, in fact, married. We are unable to have children, though. As such, my connection to the line is severed unless we adopt, and my wife is opposed to the idea. Learning history is always a way to secure a better future, though, so this is my only contribution. My wife currently earns the money in the family, and she would be be grateful for any help I could be. She may be a bit uncomfortable with my long absences, but she understood when we were married that this would be a possibility.

I do, in fact, have some domestic leads I would like to pursue, and I can set out as soon as I have word from you. One of them is in Capital city, actually. While it may actually be easier to go to Salhain than Capital city right now, as luck would have it, I was friends with the current gatekeeper when we were children. This does not mean a trip to Capital city would be without issue, but it would be possible.

Another possible lead is in the walled city to the north-east of Capital city. Though it has been mostly abandoned since Gregora raided it about seventy years ago, there are still at least ten people living them, who only leave to find supplies. As it happens, I ran into one of them in Gol. There is much to learn from the remaining occupants of the walled city.

When I have initial funds and instructions on which lead to follow, I will be on my way within a day. I look forward to being able to share more with you.

Sincerely,

Dendi Ratis.