It is a strange day as I travel upriver towards the Jungle of Zaal. Initially, I only planned to be in Quodeth for a short time, but day by day I find myself compelled to stay, and see what impact an Atlantean noble – an exiled noble at that – can have in such a land of extremes. Extreme in wealth as much as poverty, extreme in corruption as much as nobility.
And extreme is perhaps an adequate description of the company I find myself keeping. I have allied myself with a group that most definitely are not typical Quodethians: a Kalayan pirate, with some command of secretive, dark magics, and an equally dark and dour demeanour; a Dhari Barbarian with much less hair than any Dhari I have read about, and as blunt with language as the weapons he carries; an enchanting Quodethi sorceress named Cassandra, who constantly clutches a mystical black book – of which she only recently, it appears, has actually learned to read from; and strangest of all, a seven-foot tall Giantkin with a blueish hue and ice white hair, surprisingly sneaky for his size, and nowhere near as strong.
Where does this leave a charming, scimitar-wielding Atlantean from Katagia, you ask? So far, I have been through sewers, nearly being eaten – VERY nearly being eaten – by a large many-tentacled maw, whilst trying to heroically save Finnris, our scarcely-haired Barbarian companion. Thank Ishtar for the Temple of Dawn and Dusk, or else I would still be hobbling on a broken ankle to this day!
We have also discovered that the male bard at our local tavern, Lyanarus, is NOT actually a bard OR a male. She is, in fact, a female cat burglar and resident of Clouds, a local brothel, using her position to gain access to wealthy client’s homes in order to case them and later loot. We were tasked to bring Lyanarus to the Seven Knives, a group of thieves and mercenaries that are altogether unsavoury, but seem to keep a semblance of order in this part of the city – and a group Vorstag, our young Giantkin, has been keen to join. Speaking to an underboss named Randall, I personally made assurances before accepting the contract that Lyanarus/Leanna was to be given a free choice to join, and will be allowed to walk away free if they refuse the invitation. Leaning on my noble roots, I not only got myself and Finnris an audience with “Fern”, the working name of Leanna, but also befriended Lady Valeria, the mistress of the House, and a lady of influence – a worthy ally. I struck a bargain with Leanna: to be our informer, and eyes on the streets of Quodeth. Unfortunately, this was short-lived, for Vorstag appears to have a mouth ALMOST as large as his seven-foot form, telling the Seven Knives the truth about Leanna at the earliest opportunity. As our pirate compatriot Aeshma may say, “loose lips sink ships”. Even so, this act certainly furthered Vorstag’s personal goals, as he has now become a member of the Seven Knives himself. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. But the Seven Knives are fractured, and one rival of Randall’s kidnapped Leanna. Fortunately, Finnris and I’s “Rich Merchant and Crazed Madman” act worked like a charm, and we soon freed the Arcane Trickster Leanna, and brought her safely to Randall. We may soon establish a reputation.
Before travelling upriver this morning, we witnessed an impressive display from Finnris in the fighting pits. He managed to get himself a fight with an Atlantean Myrmidon from my home of Katagia, named Valash, and made short work of this much more trained opponent. Dhari can certainly take a hit or two! I since regret putting 1 gold on Valash, unbeknownst to the others, but 14 gold on Finnris makes up for hedging my bets. Valash is no doubt skilled, and perhaps I can employ his skills in future, as a kind of bodyguard and free man rather than slave. I, unlike many noble purists, abhor slavery. It was then that the Seven Knives approached our band of misfits with a new job – 1000 gold for the return of a renegade slaver named Oola, last seen in Ansumo, where we now are headed.
The long journey via boat has given me time to reflect, hence this writing. I am thankful for the employ of my manservant Filagree. He awaits us back in Quodeth, guarding my vast supply of tomes, and keeping eyes open for the spice merchant Ahreb Gluor, who is rumoured to have recently come across an arcane item – something I can resist little more than books! But most of all, I am thankful for a chance meeting with a fortune teller in the bazaar. Though I am usually sceptical of these soothsayers, this one has given me purpose and direction. Slipping away from the rest of the group, I got a private reading. Aside from the usual tentacled nightmares predicted in all of our futures “should we not act and save Thule blah blah blah” – interestingly, she saw the young Queen Deyane in my future. Apparently, she is as yet unmarried, but is currently being courted by the Grand Vizier – whom, according to the fortune teller, is shrouded in this same aura of evil as the tentacles. Young, single, beautiful, no doubt intelligent – THIS is a person I need to meet.
But getting an audience with Her Majesty will not be easy. Fortunately, the Lady Valeria has proved her worth true. She arranged an invitation to a Ball at the Karoth estate – a breeding ground of wealth and power. Through my usual guile and networking, I have met one Metira, of House Sedarnel, a house which has direct connections to the Queen. There is a long road of manoeuvring and carousing ahead in the city, but for now I must focus on the task at hand. For the rest of the journey, I will be experimenting with an old Elvish tome dipped in the arcane arts. I believe I have mastered a way to shock opponents with just a touch, and a way to magically shield myself from blows at just the right moment. Only time will tell, and time is something we will have a lot of in the Jungle of Zaal…
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| Deyane Hazeda, Queen of Quodeth |
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