As Above So Below

Hello Emma. It was strange meeting you in the market — somewhere you should not have been in the first place. But I managed to slip this note into the shipment to Umber Hollow and hope you find it before someone else does. Even though we only spoke briefly, I could tell you are a decent woman. So the rumors of Umber Hollow being a deplorable place where cruelty abounds cannot be true, can they? I have heard so many stories of thievery and corruption... I sincerely hope we can both come to understand one another now that the world is changing before our very eyes. We might just need one another to survive. Please write me back. From Carlos

Carlos! I received your note — and just in time, too. The patrols down here check every shipment thoroughly. The rumors of Umber Hollow you speak of are false — just yesterday we held a funeral for a young girl who was murdered up there in Surat's Rest! But I felt the same way when speaking with you in the market... intrigued to find a common, decent person amidst all the crimes committed where you are from. Everything from racketeering to corrupt courts and guards to widespread fraud. Perhaps we are both falling victim to decades of misspoken words. Are we not so alike, you and I? Sincerely, Emma