The Missing Inner Circle.

Searching for Soma led me to Middeltun, where the Summer Army was recovering from defeat. After agreeing to help locate Soma's three missing advisors, I climbed a tower, claimed a key from a dead man, and lit a beacon. A scouting session with Synin led to an infiltration of a bandit camp.

In my persistent search for Soma, I finally reached a settlement called Middeltun, which appeared to be entirely filled with the wounded soldiers of her defeated Summer Army, where I found Soma herself diligently tending to her injured people.

After offering what comfort she could to her people during the opening cinematic, Soma turned her attention to Eivor, firmly asking for his name and true purpose for visiting the encampment.

Once Eivor explained that he was seeking a friend and a strong ally, Soma revealed that while she had managed to save some of her soldiers, her three closest advisors were still missing.

She explained that to retake their lost city, she desperately needed her inner circle by her side, so she suggested that Eivor light the brazier atop the local tower because the thick fog had become more of a hindrance than a hiding place.

I climbed up the tall tower and discovered a dead body resting near the top alongside a letter, which contained a house key meant for whoever found him, written in the tragic hope that whatever he left behind might find some new meaning.

After reading the touching letter and pocketing the dead man's key, I stepped over to the brazier and lit the massive beacon to signal the scattered forces.

With the fire blazing, my main objective shifted to locating and rescuing the three advisors hidden in different areas, prompting me to call upon my raven, Synin, to survey the landscape, though it quickly became clear that I would need to travel much closer to their positions first.

I leaped off the high tower and managed to land safely on the shoulder of a giant stone statue, noting that while it was clearly daytime, the pale sun hanging in the sky looked remarkably like the moon through the haze.

We then set out to track down the first of the missing advisors, and after scanning the marshlands through Synin's eyes, I infiltrated the hostile territory alongside Soma until we successfully located the advisor's abandoned longship.

I began taking down the occupying bandits from the shadows using my hidden blade, all while Soma followed closely behind to observe my combat skills in action.

The entire area was crawling with hostile forces, and eventually, one of the bandits spotted my movements and rushed forward to engage me, forcing me to give him a fierce battle right before the remaining defenders swarmed in to join the fight.

That's all for now.