Ceridwen the Historian

UP: Sonoma

    The Insidiae. A clandestine group, composed only of the best rogues and assassins to be found, and led by the sinister Lord Grythak. Very little is known of them and their undertakings, but their track record shows a very successful chain of thefts.

    Over a year go, the Heart of Glory was stolen from a rich Magincian noble. The Heart, a massive ruby, was famed far and wide as the largest perfectly cut gem of its kind yet found. The only thing that was left in the jeweled chest it was stolen from was a torn piece of parchment that read, �Ins�. Ten months ago now a similar theft took place. This time, the Vesper Museum lost the Noble Pride, a unique amethyst of rare size and shade. Inside the completely intact display case was another note: �Ins�. The group had begun making a name for itself. But, the question remains: Why did the Insidiae steal such well-known, unique gems? They certainly cannot be sold on the open market, and even the black market would be wary of such important artifacts.

    The next theft, or attempted theft, took place in the Royal Palace of Nujel�m. After a particularly important town meeting, a black clad man grabbed the Vizier�s great sapphire necklace, but did not manage to remove it before the guards approached. The dark man recalled to safetly, but not before he dropped another scrap of parchment with the Insidiae�s calling card.

    At this point, news of this infamous group had become well spread, and Lord Grythak showed himself for the first time in a theft of seemingly innocent books from the Moonglow Lycaeum. I myself was interested in these books, and set upon finding them with the help of Frederick, the man who was the Vizier�s bodyguard when the sapphire theft was attempted. Since then, he had resigned as bodyguard, and began a quest to stop the elusive group of thieves.

    Over the next few months, the Insidiae searched for a magical device � Sindl�s Flame. This powerful ball of fire is the concentrated energy of the sun itself, and was created many years ago by the legendary Sindl, Mage of Flame. Many good warriors opposed the Insidiae, and fought them at every turn to keep them from their prize. In the end, Sindl�s Flame was kept from the Insidiae, and safely deposited in Ocllo.

    There was then little activity amongst these thieves for months. Who can guess what they were doing? Perhaps simply sitting back and enjoying their �accomplishments�, or perhaps refining an insidious plan for the future� If you wish to learn about the recent Movements of the Insidiae, refer to the article on the front page.

From the Town Cryer - The Journal of Ultima Online, Sunday, October 10th 1999