SUBJECT MATTER: ELDOUIR / DRESMONDI / NEVERMERAN CONFLICT

Time: Hiems 827, on the verge of the new year 828

Notes: After study in the library and a discussion with Zevran, one of the Dresmondi who came to Nevermere, I have composed these notes. This is a comprehensive detailing of my findings in hopes that some of this will help us in the war to come. I believe it to be insufficient. There will be great loss to both sides. I have not found a weakness in the link between the Dresmondi and their dyrs that would allow us to incapacitate them without death. The Eldouir are undoubtedly much more dangerous, but the Dresmondi soldiers cannot be overlooked. I will continue to search for a weakness in hopes that we can end this war quickly, and bring the Eldouir to their long-awaited justice.

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DRESMONDI

The Dresmondi that have dyrs are connected to them through a spiritual bond. They receive their dyrs at age twelve, at which time they begin training how to use whatever element is given to them through this spiritual bond. Curious that Nevermerean children also begin their training at age twelve.

The Dresmondi were originally split into four caravans. These caravans were different culturally, with different purposes and different elements in each.

- The Adoi originally protected the borders. They wielded the elements of Fire, Electricity, and Light. Given my discussion with Zevran, I am unsure how Light was use to defend the borders but the Dresmondi in this caravan were trained combatants. That is, both human and dyr were capable of fighting, the element was not solely relied upon.

- The Dijila were the most Nevermeran-like caravan. Their elements were Water and Ice. They were considered to be highly trained soldiers. They were not at the borders because their element was pivotal in aiding in the watering of the lands*, but they were the strongest of all caravans from a military standpoint.

*The Dresmondi caravans worked together to nourish the lands of Dresmond. It is my understanding that, without the aid of the caravans since the Eldouir have taken over, the lands have become infertile, dry, and cracked. Essentially useless for farming and food. Animals have begun to die out or migrate to other kingdoms.

- The Kushti were a peaceful caravan of farmers whose main concern was nourishing the lands as they traveled. Their elements were Air, Plant, Water, Earth, and Light. This caravan was non-combative but supplied most of the food for the other caravans. Obviously this group made up the majority of all Dresmondi.

- The Rashai were miners and mineral workers who wielded Earth, Metal, Fire, and Darkness. This caravan was also non-combative, instead focusing on tradeswork like smithing. This was Zevran's original caravan, as he wields Darkness.

The Dresmondi were in a weakened state when the Eldouir attacked. They had suffered attacks by the Coheedsmen for two years leading up to the Eldouir invasion. The family had fewer soldiers and resources, and they simply were not trained as ruthlessly as the Eldouir were. They had no choice but to fall and unfortunately some turned on their own people for the sake of their survival.

Upon settling, the Eldouir forced the remaining Dresmondi into a single village. They still live in wagons, but they no longer travel. As stated previously, their lands have dried up, meaning that those who were not suited to be soldiers were left to fend for themselves and with few resources and an inability to use their elements, many have starved or succumbed to the elements.

Once a year, a "Tribute" is held. The Dresmondi are required to offer up something to be judged for its usefulness by the Eldouir rulers. This may be goods, services, or on occasion sacrifices (other Dresmondi, children, themselves?). Depending on the quality of the tribute, the Dresmondi are somehow marked, and this allows the Eldouir to -- somehow judge their loyalty upon run-ins with the individual. I am a little unsure of how this works, exactly. If there is a scale, what the point of it is, what the true advantage is to the Dresmondi who risks appearing? Would like to know more, should I get another chance to meet with Zevran, or perhaps the other Dresmondi who came with him.

DYR & ELEMENTS

The dyrs are created through a ritual that is no longer held / able to be held. A magical item called The Medallion aided in the splitting of a Dresmondi's soul and the creation of it's dyr and element. The medallion was lost at some point - I believe during the second invasion of Coheed, though possibly the first, the notes on this are divided. Either way, I doubt the Eldouir would allow the Dresmondi to continue utilizing it once they had taken over. Even if so, it would only be for a select few - soldiers who they had handpicked. This is speculation, but I do not foresee them allowing what they deem to be a 'useless' Dresmondi to wield an element that could potentially be used against them.

- Do the Eldouir have the medallion? I don't think they do. If it was lost during Coheeds attacks, it's possible some Coheedsman has it, or perhaps one of the Dresmondo who fled to Arynn Frey has kept it in hopes of returning it should they ever be freed of Eldouir rule.

The reason for animal and element selection is unclear. There seems to be no rhyme or reason why either are assigned to a specific Dresmondi. Zevran's dyr is a curious looking fox - black and white.

- Any animal can be assigned to any Dresmondi, it seems. The size does not matter. The books stated that some Dresmondi have been seen with various animals of various sizes, for example: squirrel, wolf, pig, deer, cat, mouse, birds of all kinds, mountain lions, and raccoons. One listed was an elephant, which is supposedly as large as some peoples homes, though I have no frame of reference for what that means to the writer of the book which detailed it. Zevran also mentioned that not all dyr are land animals. So perhaps some kind of reptiles may be included?

- Air: can create wind, use it to throw objects, help the Dresmondi/animal to fly. Can even be used to suffocate / steal the air from the lungs. VERY dangerous, should be killed immediately when spotted.

- Darkness: as stated, this is Zevran's element. Darkness cannot be made tangible, according to him. It cannot do physical damage, but can be used to blind enemies or to hide - possible able to hide large numbers of Dresmondi from sight.

- Light: Like darkness, in that it cannot be made tangible but can also be used to blind, and possible to burn in the way that the sun burns.

- Earth: can create quakes of some kind to destabilize, can open the ground.

- Electricity: Similar to lightning in a storm, but controlled.

- Fire: Should be similar to incantation magic, only more controlled. Very dangerous, kill quickly/immediately.

- Ice: Seems limited. Couldn't find a lot on this one. If water is present, they seem to be able to form it into shape to then throw at enemies.

- Ore: Unsure how this could be best used in combative sense. Ore can be shaped in weapons, but one would think the weapons must then be wielded by someone who can use them?

- Plant: Seems to be similar to what is known of Remiel Allemeade's gift. A manipulation of plant life, to what extent I do not know. May be able to ask Othello about this for more information - if we are fighting on dead Dresmondi lands, this may not be too much of an issue?

- Water: Possibly the most dangerous. It seems as though they can pull water out of the air, out of our bodies, from the ground - use it to drown us, to muddy the ground and slow us down, etc. Very dangerous, kill quickly/immediately.

In conclusion: I believe Fire, water, and air will be the most difficult to face. Electricity may also be very dangerous, but not more so than the first three. All should be priority once in battle. The faster we remove them, the better off we are. The others we can then pick off. It's likely these soldiers will be the most well trained and most ruthless among the Eldouir-trained Dresmondi soldiers.

DRESMONDI SOLDIERS

"Whatever they did changed those soldiers. Even if they joined unwillingly, out of fear, now they practically worship the redheads. They never question orders and they have no sympathy for their own people remaining."

Those were Zevran's exact words when I asked how the Dresmondi soldiers were trained. It does not inspire hope, I will admit. Hiram Eldouir was always a ruthless leader, but his violent urges were to some degree contained while he was in Lorendale. He was expected to behave a certain way according to the Crown. I believe he has never had loyalty to anyone but himself, but with a whole kingdom of weakened Dresmondi at his feet, he has had no reason to hold back for some years now. The thought is uniquely sobering.

While many of the Dresmondi were not originally soldiers, I believe the Eldouir could make any element useful and torturous. They all have a great ability to do damage and cause pain. Even if it was not originally the natural order of things, Hiram will have made sure they all know every possible way to hurt someone, whether through element or their own bodies.

In accordance with that train of thought, I doubt the Dresmondi soldiers will fear death. The poor people will have seen it far too many times already. If I were them, I would ache for it. They will not hesitate to shield the Eldouir, to sacrifice themselves, but they will take as many of our soldiers down with them when they go. Of that I can almost be sure.

We will have to kill them.

- There is no KNOWN way to incapacitate both dyr and human without killing them. Though they do 'share' pain in some way, it does not appear to be a one to one ration.

- The dyrs prefer to be guided by their human counterpart, but do not have to be. They can work independently of one another, though they are likely to remain in close proximity to each other.

- The dyrs have intelligence on the level of humans. They do not think like animals.

- Killing the Dresmondi also kills the dyr. Killing the dyr will not kill the human, but does leave them in a sort of...shell of themselves. Part of their soul is now gone. Zevran said they act strangely, and they no longer have the aid of elemental magic.

In conclusion: It would likely be best to kill the dyrs first. That removes the element of magic, and helps to incapacitate the human, making them easier to kill thereafter.


ELDOUIR

Hiram Eldouir has been the head of the family for years. He has personally lead them to ruin, or what will be ruin, if we accomplish what we hope to accomplish. He's a former general, who historically played to whatever side gave him the most freedom to be as cruel as he could ever want to be.

Alongside him, I am aware of only these: Myla Eldouir, Elena Eldouir, Alistair, and Drystan Eldouir. I have never personally met any of them, so the following information has been secured only through secondhand accounts of their actions at the trial and subsequent death sentence of Hiram Eldouir, in which they attacked everyone in the courthouse in hopes of escape. Another Eldouir, Raine, was able to turn into a great reptile-like beast but she was killed during the trial. Only the following escaped. There could be more, lesser Eldouir, or those who were too young to be in the room during the trial but may have come of age in the last 5-6 years. The Eldouir were known to reproduce quickly, and within the family, to encourage the passing down of gifts.

Alistair Eldouir - Fire manipulation, explosion? It wasn't merely fire, but the fire seemed to explode. Records state that he was somehow able to tear people apart with these explosions, not merely burn them.

Elena Eldouir - Use of force to move objects, or people. Can also use it to destroy objects - such as projectiles thrown at her.

Hiram Eldouir - Blood manipulation. Can create things, weapons, out of blood and use it for attack. Can also heal himself somehow. Can also use it to travel instantaneously. He and the others in his family disappeared in a wave of blood. Somehow, he is able to use it for transport.

Drystan Eldouir - Teleportation / instantaneous travel? Was at the trial but disappeared completely and totally just as the fighting began.

Myla Eldouir - Some kind of ability to manipulate energy. Bursts of energy strong enough to incapacitate or kill. Can be used defensively as a shield. Can drain energy from others (possibly to use it for herself? or just to incapacitate/kill). Possibly one of the strongest Eldouir besides Hiram. Needs to be killed quickly.

I am entirely unsure of their roles in Dresmond, if any of them have remained or left. I do know that there have been rumors of sightings of both Hiram and Myla in Loren, but those cannot be confirmed. They are, possibly, fearmongering efforts by either side of the gifted/anti-gifted conflicts there, but Lorendaler politics are not my current focus.

I have no doubt that Hiram remains the ultimate leader among them. His family would likely follow him anywhere. More information on other Eldouir in the castle or their gifts would be preferred, but we have no way to find that information out as of right now. Since no real weakness could be devised for the Dresmondi elements, weaknesses for the Eldouir themselves would be key.

Taking out the leaders would cause chaos among the Dresmondi soldiers. Perhaps some of them would give up entirely. At the very least, they might lose some steam.

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I will continue to research what I can about the Dresmondi, but more so the Eldouir. Our focus should be on them. I intend to ask any and all who might have known them. I would like to speak directly with the King, if I could get time with him, but perhaps Commander Usher will have some of the information I seek.

In the mean time, we will have to build a strategy based on what I have composed here. I will continue to add to these notes as I gather more information.

Signature: Lieutenant Warren Woodwick