\--==Official Submission==-- FROM: Sergeant Major Alexander Rahl RE: Report on the Black Hand Operation Intelligence Report Classification: --Sensitive”” I don't know what you maniacs up there are trying to do to me, but you need to get your shit together and get it together fast or we'll have to have words. Here's my “report” of my “mission” and if you don't like the results you can kiss my arse or court-martial me because this rot is bleedin' insane. As ordered, I took the role of Sambo, a petty pickpocket from Skara Brae and traveled to Nujel'm to join the Order of the Black Hand. Finding these idiots was easy enough, and gaining acceptance into Talen Varn's gang was just as simple, alarmingly so in fact. Over the following days I began to gather intelligence about the group. Want to hear it? Day 1 - Five purses stolen. Made fun of old lady. Day 2 - Turned in a few rats found at the hideout for coppers from the town watch. Loitered around tavern drinking for remainder of the day. Day 3 - Borkk palmed a small amethyst from a jeweler. Party ensued. Drinking and wenching for the remainder of the day. Day 4 - Varn had a headache, we took the day off. More wenching. As you can tell, I was just thrilled with my assignment, but trusting the judgment of the all-powerful Society officer's corps, I decided to hang around and see if anything exciting happened. This was a very bad mistake. While poking through Varn's little slice of sewer I found a collection of bodies. One of them was the real Talen Varn. Hell and death ensued. While I was high-tailing it out of the hideout I got jumped by the whole gang. Borkk, the big thug, cast some sort of magical shield on me, preventing magical escape. (I'd like it noted that the only time I've ever even HEARD of a spell like this was centuries ago when Captain Tilamoon witnessed it cast by the Stranglers during the battle against The Stormbound Night in the Felkinar Pass.) After a brief engagement with the imposters, I ran beaten and bloodied from the hideout into the sewers. When I was far enough away I sent an extraction call through the crystal system. No one answered. Here's my professional analysis of the situation: F.U.B.A.R. I was set up, plain and simple. The real Varn's gang had been dead days before I had even left Northwood for this damned assignment, so it couldn't have been a leak. I was targeted specifically. They knew I was coming, they knew my capabilities, and they even knew my name. I've now been down in these sewers for three days waiting for this shield to collapse and desperately trying to keep my wounds clean. Hopefully this message will make it to you by the time my trail is cool enough that I can return to Northwood, because the lot of you have exactly that long to come up with an explanation worthy of earning my restraint. And to the sonofabitch who set me up: You missed. It's my turn now.