Access Level: High.
Report by Explorer Grigio on the acquaintance with Stevo and his Ravens.
Remembering that day, all I feel is deep bitterness.
In the Raven camp, smiling men and women greeted me: they greeted me, enthusiastically showed me their goods — from holograms of open wings to many types of weapons. I remember the crossbow “Toadfish”, a tribute to the skill of crafting deadly machines.
Upon learning that I was from the Order, Stevo, the charismatic leader of the Ravens, wished to meet me. After a rich dinner, he told me that he was born into a wealthy and friendly family and how the skill of a mason helped him protect his own. Stevo told me everything, and it seemed strange, but over time I realized the reason. The past did not exist for the Ravens, only the “now” and the “better future”.
I was taking notes when I noticed a few crying children in dirty clothes in the distance. Two Ravens unsuccessfully tried to offer them food. The children were wearing symbols, intertwined moon and sun.
Having noticed my look, Stevo smiled:
— Hatchlings. The foundation of our future. They are sad, but we will make them happy with anything that can be bought with shiny talers!..
I was preparing to hit the road with the Ravens the next morning. They were headed north, I was heading for the Order's southern outpost.
After spending a few days on the road, I came across a camp burned to the ground. It was difficult to determine who it belonged to, but I managed to see something. The blackened fender of the car had a barely visible coat of arms from the camp — intertwined moon and sun.
I heard Ravens had never been senselessly cruel. Perhaps they just stumbled upon this camp and saved the children, but in my mind I had the image of Stevo smiling calmly, saying that those lost orphans were the “foundation of the future” for the Ravens.
For a long time, I had a nagging feeling that my hospitable hosts deliberately feasted on bones that day.
Explorer Grigio