seek for me never, keep your course true.

YSEULT

Efficient and dignified. I can think of many worse I could work for-- have worked for. Yseult is refreshingly straight-forward, and no petty tyrant with her power. She weighs decisions carefully. I do not entirely trust her judgement, but only because I don't think I know her well enough. I certainly trust her judgement well enough to follow her commands to the best of my ability.

I wonder how she deals with disappointment from inferiors. I suppose I shall find out soon enough.

Please disregard anything I have said or will say of this man in the future; my judgement is irreconcilably biased.

NIKOSTOS AVERESCH

I admit, fully and with no hesitation, that these two blur into one. Nevarran nobility that enjoy comporting themselves as towering infernos of indignant rage? How delightful. I find myself resenting them, even though they brokered my freedom, simply because I cannot shake the belief that they did so out of an abstract belief, a desire to be the one who had freed another, a bringer of justice, rather than having any interest in aiding an individual. Silly and prideful. I made out of it well; I should not complain.

In general, they are volatile, childish, and pointlessly rude. Keep them from anything remotely diplomatic, sensitive, or meaningful.

I believe this one is a mage?

NIKOS AVERESCH

See previous report for full detail.

Interestingly, I believe it was this one who implied a knowledge of revolutionary activity. I expressed interest, and intend to attend if he extends an invitation. I am genuinely curious to see it, for I cannot imagine it being anything of meaning or use. If this man inspired any sense of actual competency, I would fear what this meant for the peace of the city-- I have seen revolts perfectly orchestrated that still resulted in death en masse.

Luckily, they don't seem capable of pulling off a leisurely day in the park. Perhaps I am projecting my own observations too far, but a revolutionary must be, among all things, patient. And then, the charisma, the subtlety, the grace with which all moves are made.

Neither of these men possess any of those qualities.

LAURA KINT^*

What I state here must be in complete confidence.

My suspicions have been confirmed. She has been used for some sort of lesser purpose, less a pet than an object. I do not know all the details. But I have seen what I believe to be lyrium claws protruding from her knuckles. I have also caught her in a moment of great upset, where she was causing herself purposeful harm. It was not to an egregious degree-- nothing life-threatening in the least-- but these are clues to a larger puzzle.

These signs, when combined with her behavior and my suppositions about it, lead me to the invariable conclusion that she was someone's fighting creature, augmented with special abilities, most likely with the aid of apostate magics.

In my previous life, in Orlais, I have encountered servents who harm themselves. While it is a confusing practice, it is generally a sign of low self-worth, panic, lack of control, and the need to self-punish. In my experience, those most prone were servants accustomed to being severely beaten, then transferred to an environment where these beatings do not take place. They have difficulty acclimating, and this is their outlet.

All that said, I still do not believe Laura Kint is dangerous or unstable, so long as she is treated with basic decency, and kept from scenarios where she is liable to self-harm again. I am currently doing my best to ascertain what caused the outburst without breaking the strange thread of trust between us.

ATHESSA SULAHNAN

This one, I do worry about.

Again, my biases may be showing. But I worry for any elf that comports themselves so carelessly, especially one who is interested in what I suspect is thievery. I am not shocked and appaled by her actions, so much as the manner in which she accomplishes them: sloppily, with more instinct than training, and a great deal of fumbling.

I would not readily trust her with anything of import, but neither would I turn her out. The girl clearly needs training. She can be of great use to Riftwatch, if only she can be taught to manage with more subtlety. She clearly has a talent for it, or she'd be dead by now.

That said, her loyalty to the organization? Without training, we give her nothing, and she has no reason to stay.

LINO NIERI

From my observation, he is a goal-oriented lout, likely motivated by money or the satisfaction of jobs well done (or both), with very little to give in terms of personality. Still, I've seen no indication that the man is unintelligent. Indeed, he clearly knows his way about the world, and goes about it with a sort of panache one could be forgiven for envying. But he has little in the way of conversation, delicacy, or purpose beyond his next objective.

Simply put? Keep paying him, and he will keep working for Riftwatch. But he is an arrow: shot in a direction it will continue, but it cannot be used in needlework. Keep him from anything delicate or sensitive. Worry if he finds his way into delicate or sensitive matters. And, perhaps, pray.

embrassé horriblement

ANNA

Everything about this woman can be explained by the fact that she is from another world. One that finds the act of combat holy beyond all else. They call it hunting, and I would not be surprised if that world was capitalized for some Greater Purpose. This is all what I have learned from her, from direct conversation, wherein I finally managed to get two words out of her that weren't threats. She had attacked me, and then was confused when I met her with derision. But no, that is simply how one comports themselves, in her society. She is a fighter, so she fights.

She is not unlike Laura, in her way, though the shelter I suspect for Laura was, for Anna, the entire world in which she came of age. Still, this is advantageous: Give her something to fight, and she will fight it. Another arrow, only needing aim, but unlike Nieri, she can be communicated with, if one is patient, consistent, and doesn't mind the occasional stab wound. Perhaps, if one needs to speak to her, I should volunteer myself, as I somehow managed to stumble upon cracking her personal code.

Gwenaëlle Baudin

I must admit, anything I write about her will be biased, because I do not come with fresh eyes; I was a fan of her writings before I met her, and fond of her role in political scandal. She seems friendly enough, though with anyone raised as she was, you cannot discount the possibility for ulterior motive. I find her an excellent conversationalist, and primed for the sort of well-mannered diplomacy one employs, adding a dash of scandal for painted faces to chuckle about behind silk fans. I am entirely sure she would not appreciate such an assessment, but no one likes to think themselves an accessory, even when that is the reality.

That almost sounds like an insult. We are all accessories, not just the elf-blooded poets mired in slander.

THRANDRUELLE THRANDRUIL THRANDUEL PROVOST BAUDIN^*

While everything I've said of the man previously still stands, I feel it necessary to add that, now working with him, I have found him to be kinder than expected. This is likely my own fault; anyone who so easily wears the air of nobility, I expect to be a fool, cruel, or both. The Provost is certainly no fool, and he is not cruel to me. Neither does he, unlike most other elves I have encountered, necessitate some sort of obsequience to a tradition I hold no ties to.

Which is to say I dearly hope he is loyal, because I cannot lie and say I do not like the man, but I still could not guess at his inner workings.

There was a moment of strange interest recently, where he had me inventory things belonging to a close family member. I cannot decide how that translates to his character. Obviously it was a test, but it was a test where he was potentially vulnerable as well; after all, I could have ruined those heirlooms. Was he testing himself as well as me? Was he holding me to a higher standard because I am an elf? I do not know, and I cannot say if my obsessing over this single action is a sign that it is essential to understanding his general character, or that I am simply a priggish fool who cannot stand not knowing the answers to things that interest me.

Perhaps both.

ISAAC^*

The more I think on this man, the more I come to the conclusions that spitefulness guided my previous opinion of him. I still do not know why he found it so important to foist that money on me (it should be noted that the sum was sent by my previous employers as some sort of apology, bribe, attempt at evading the law against slavery in Kirkwall, or all three), or why he seemed stymied when I refused. But I can admit I refused out of petty spite and my own pride, and as such took issue with his attempts.

But then, that is very much my fault, not his. It does not speak to his character or his internal thoughts, which I never made an attempt to divine, so wrapped up in my wounded pride.

In the future, I will endeavor to know him better. My reaction was puerile at best.

BYERLY RUTYER

I keep hearing that this man is intolerable, but I find him quite tolerable. I confess; my standards for the whims of moneyed men-- or men accustomed to being moneyed, as the case may be-- are low. But I have not been called un petit lapin, shoved into a closet, or asked to do his busywork. What else can one ask of a man who grew up with a title?

I don't know his loyalties. He tells me he is a layabout, an fool, a rake, all of that, but Riftwatch is not a good place for such a fellow. Then again, we offer a stipend, and he is disinherited. His constant protest against any accusations of kindness or goodness leave me unsure. Are they the evasion of a man too used to insult? Are they a guise? Is his mask so fitting he has become it?

Am I overthinking this because I do not trust nobility? Yes. Almost certainly.

LEANDER^*

Having worked with the fellow more, I have to retract previous statements, which were not insults so much as damning with faint praise.

He is a strange fellow, but that simply makes him fit in better with Riftwatch as a whole. He is accommodating, yet serious about his work. He is kind where he does not have to be. He is polite and well-spoken. I am not of the belief that mages are worthwhile diplomats, simply because of the reaction that would garner in others, but perhaps if he were sent to speak with other mages? Then again, all I know of diplomats is the sounds they make while being garroted.

I apologize; that was morbid.

What I mean to say is this: the man is intelligent and well-mannered. I believe his loyalty to Riftwatch is based largely upon it being a place where a mage may walk about freely, and so long as Riftwatch remains such a place, he will remain our ally.

I still cannot speak to the man's art, but as the subject is germane neither of us, so I will have leave it at that.

An excellent scholar whose work I can't praise enough. She has an excellent eye for detail, and her sources are always wide-ranging and exhaustive.

I can't give you more of a book report, however. An Orlesian noblewoman rarely has the urge to speak her heart and mind to an elf. Regardless, it would be a great loss to Riftwatch's Research division were we to lose her.

I've never before met a Grey Warden interested in poetry and song, but then, I've never before met a Grey Warden.

Ellis seems committed to his task and yet not without an appreciation for idle amusements. This is generally a sign of a level-headed man, but I cannot pretend as though I have any experience with soldiers, much less Wardens.

He has an even temperament, though, and could likely be a fixture-- if only as a figurehead-- in meetings, amiable and soft-spoken, with conversation that neither sparkles nor drags, but more importantly, engages.

I can, however, speak with no small amount of experience on Orlesian noblemen, and Valentine Nicasius Maxence Mérovée Olivier de Foncé (who I will from now on refer to as 'Val', so as not to further waste Riftwatch's resources of ink) is completely typical of his breed.

This is not a bad thing. It's not a good thing, either. It just is. Val displays little interest or concern for the well-being of others where his interests are concerned, but it's not from malice. He is all too happy to speak endlessly on the subjects that interest him, but it's not from some need to browbeat his audience. He is quick to criticize the actions of others without thought for their perspective, but it's not with intent to chastise.

He is the very best of what an Orlesian nobleman can be: thoughtless. He doesn't hate or loathe those he ignores or speaks over. He simply does not think to consider that he is not at the epicenter of every social interaction.

I believe he is some sort of scholar, but I have yet to read his works. He seems more interested in field research, which is admirable for one of his breeding, theoretically. Invariably, it leads to funerals. I would be begin making a plan on how Riftwatch is going to explain the lad's untimely demise to his moneyed parents.

Extremely charismatic and thoughtful, unfortunately. As his aims are not altogether within the law, he is very skilled at convincing others to go along with his plots. In the interest of full disclosure, I know this because he has succeeded in convincing me.

Not that it is particularly difficult to prey upon my covetous feelings toward the libraries of the nobility. Still, the fact remains.

I could not begin to guess where the man's true loyalties lie, but that is, I think, an unfair assessment. Would I have written the previous statement if he were not an avowed pirate? The Maker knows I have not done so previously, even when I knew very little of the motivations of my fellows. Or perhaps that is simply an attempt to give him a more charitable assessment than he is due, oweing to his own afformentioned charisma.

I will say this: We would do well to position him in a role where he can negotiate. Trade or requisitions; I have no doubt that he would not only succeed to get Riftwatch the best possible deals and trades, but genuinely enjoy the task.

I have absolutely no doubt that Miss Jones is not only an excellent researcher, but a perfect clerk, if only because I have some regard for the Provost's judgement. (Please do not take that as a self-assessment as well; I have absolutely no clue why he chose to work with me, and the puzzlement continues to plague my mind.)

That said, it seems I can do nothing but offend the girl. I do not know how I continually manage this, as I certainly do not intend to, and quite frankly find her conversation sparkling, if somewhat lacking in wit (she has some difficulty identifying humor, but as a rifter, her context could simply be different from mine). However, her offense is gained, and when she explains it to me, I cannot fail to see that the fault is mine.

I will admit, this bothers me more than I like; I have known servants like her in the past, when I worked in Orlais, and much enjoyed their company and conversation. Perhaps my presumption of a continuation of such a relationship put me in the wrong; perhaps her status as a rifter immediately shifted each interaction far farther than I could have guessed; perhaps a combination of the two; perhaps neither.

In the end, this is all personal blathering. I would rate Miss Jones highly in terms of intelligence, but low in tact. Luckily, she is primarily concerned with research, and seems happy doing just that.

Despite the difficulty inherent in his personality, his aversion to simple answers, giving details of himself that aren't facetious, and a smug demeanor that would put royalty to shame, I believe the man is an asset more than a drain on resources. Though he is also a drain on resources.

The man is intelligent, but plenty of people are intelligent. More important than that, he shows interest in not only finding, but sharing knowledge. He values team efforts. He is willing to explore, not simply for the sake of being able to say, yes, I have explored.

And he is curious, and unexpectedly kind. Not in a gentle way; nothing about the man is gentle. But his brusque disinterest in cruelty and waste points to a finer character than one might see in initial encounters.

Whatever he discovers, whatever he makes, will no doubt be of great value to the war effort.