Two Letters from Dead Enemies

Two letters have been posted on the board in the Ettin, with a note above them. "These scrolls were found by a soldier after the battle against the Twilight, sealed inside the arm of Duke Lust's throne. Having read them, I thought you should all get a chance to do the same.
Mayor Willum Daffles"

The first scroll pinned up is written in a fine, refined hand.
"My name is Duke Reaven Lust. That title is doubly mine by right of birth and right of conquest. I would ensure that those who come later know of my achievements, so I write this note now, on parchment enchanted to endure, just as I hope I myself am.
I am a Shadar-Kai of noble birth and bearing, 4th son of the Duke of the Umbral Void. That should have been all any need know to accept my rights. Yet my mother was human, and that is all that has ever mattered to anyone. Even though my mother was Argola of Qoth, feared and respected across the Void and Duchess of repute herself, this made no difference in how her half-breed son was seen, not least by my sisters, not after the Duke and Duchess died.
My own flesh and blood cast me out of my homeland. ‘Half flesh and half blood mean as much as half a wheel’ were Sylar’s exact words. I travelled, I learned, I planned for some years, for it is not in the nature of the Shadar-Kai to forget or forgive. And in learning of my own nature, I came across lore and magicks which gave me the foundations of a plan.
The Shadowfell is, for all those who call it a desolate place, in fact teeming with spirits and shades, a thriving population yearning for more. I learned how one could combine such a shade with a willing host - an ancient and forgotten way to induct someone into the Shadar-Kai from another plane.
Ten years of research turned up this place, this...Kantas. A continent on the Material Plane of extraordinary planar instability - it was perfect for my goal. Merge the planes, merge Material and Shadowfell populaces and create a kingdom of halves. I did not name them Twilights, though I must admit it is an appropriate name. Half of light and half of darkness. This land will be the seat of my kingdom, a domain that straddles the planes, and the place that will bring me the respect I am due at last.
They'll all see just what a half breed can do, and none will stand in my way.
Duke Reaven Lust"

To the right of this letter is a second, in a much scratchier hand, as if by someone not accustomed to writing. The parchment is the same though.
"The Duke gave me this parchment. 'For perpetuity,' he said. As if anything endures. But he told me to write, so I do.
'Write how you became the general the world will come to fear,' he said. As if our little kingdom will last that long. But it's a quiet day, so sure.
I am a Twilight. Born in light and then once again in shadow, I walk both worlds. But while the rest of the army is full of the mindless and animalistic, I am not. Everyone else succumbed to the mad chaos of the shadow spirit that twists their body. I did not. I will not. I am stronger by far than this paltry shadow that squats in me now. I will take its power though, and make it my own. And oh, I have.
Of course, I am different than before. My body has been warped, and my goals and aims have changed. Mind control? Part of the spell? I don't think that's accurate. I’ve been charmed before, and there's a haze that obscures your mind, while I see things clearly. It’s more like I think life itself held the same haze, clouding my thinking like some of the local mushrooms, and now that I am reborn that mist has parted. The shadow may have failed to ensnare my mind, but it has, I think, severed my old ties and bonds, like uprooting a tree, leaving me new and whole without anything holding me back.
Good. This life is better.
I am stronger, I am faster, I can fly. Shar's breath, I love flying. My old life consisted of wandering, always scouting, hiding, wading through dirty rivers or getting a hand full of splinters climbing a tree. Always alone. Always without purpose beyond - what's out there, maybe people would like to know?
Now I have purpose. I will lead this army and direct my efforts to ensuring the Duke's kingdom. He's weak and foolish, caught up in the same snare of emotions he freed me from, but he gave me this life, and I owe it to him for the time being. Perhaps he could benefit from undergoing the same process. He doesn’t know how different we are from him.
But we will lose this war. I know that, because I know what we face, and it infuriates me. The inevitability of the Three Headed Ettin and the adventurers I once called friends.
I tried to show them what a power the Twilight were - that they should just submit - by having some barbarian slaughtered in their midst. I don't recall his name, but they at least seemed upset as I left. I knew as I flew away though that the victory would be as short-lived as the mornbush, lasting only a few hours, as they have clerics and a fund specifically to reverse my victory. I knew. I'd supplied money to that very fund.
I’ve been back to the Ettin a few times since I’ve changed. A simple disguise spell and I can sit with a wine and watch the adventurers boast of the daring heights they’ve achieved (it’s hardly a pun when it’s already the point of the name). I haven’t been back in a month or two now though – there’s so much to do here. I might go next week and see if they’re actually getting around to moving against us.
This has gotten longer than I expected, ivy winding. Enough. I am Keladry. I will defend this Duke with my life until my debt is paid, and then one day I will be free. And I will fly the skies as a dragon-like terror. And it will be glorious. Just. Like. Me."