General Haron,
It is with great sorrow that I must report the death of all 100 members of the 77th Itjivut expedition. You know from our last correspondence that they found something at the border of the southern wastes: an artifact dating back thousands of years. The architecture, given the descriptions I received, was nothing like any Hiafae building we've encountered thus far; and, according to the lone scout who made it back to the main camp last night, our expedition mages managed to activate it.
Scout Tarric has informed me of their consequential deaths. The mage's bodies were assembled into what sounds like a golem of flesh and blood: one that proceeded to kill everything in sight before exploding in a gory mess. Only Tarric seems to have survived that onslaught, and only long enough to deliver this news of his company's annihilation. I don't know how he made it back to camp with wounds like that, but he's with the Soulstream now.
It seems clear to this soldier that the legendary blood mages of Itjivut were indeed real and extremely dangerous. Whether they still exist remains to be seen, but I shudder at the thought of their return. Magic like that is best lost to the ages, and so I implore you, as your closest advisor, to convince the king to abandon this foolish quest. Whatever lies in those southern reaches of Itjivut should stay there, undisturbed and forgotten.
-Captain Lochlan, 22nd Field Commander of Adeluna's Itjivut Attachment