“Do tell?” Aith joins Tariq in encouraging. “You would know better than we would, but maybe if the idea rattles around a few more minds it will set off a flash of inspiration.”
She’s willing to wait a few minutes to get enough to ruminate over from Rayhan, but then she nods to Haleen and goes out to help set up the tent.
Eventually, she thinks she finds her words, starting with an apology. “I’m sorry, really. I hadn’t thought of that at all.”
“As you know, I can be a bit reckless, and I’m not the most subtle,” the mage says ruefully. “Alkenstar’s … really not perfect, but outright slavery isn’t a thing there, and… Well, as I said. The thought of that creature just going back to work, after what he did with the Carrion King. And for the first time, I’m not just a lieutenant out there with so many captains and chiefs over me, but this city has a long reach.”
Her voice is bitter, heavy with self-reproach. “I should be used to that, really. My mother was an exile, for … never mind, this isn’t about me. I will say that I’ve spent many years running for a homeland I’ve never seen, for even a glimpse of clear air, of magic. So when I saw those three and the others held by Yuseifah, feeling myself getting angrier and angrier, worried what I might be tempted to do if a scene broke out if he guessed what I had in mind, what that might mean for them, I moved too quickly. Because if I were a captive just handed over to someone to do with as they will, I think I would want to know as soon as that they didn’t think they owned me, even before they told me anything that could be false civility.”
“But you’re right, of course. I’ve always been able to run. It might have been stupid, before I was ready to leave the city I grew up in, but I could have. When I cross that sea, it will almost certainly be by my choice. I don’t know what it’s like to have lost what you have, or Meilin, Shabaka, and Fadimatou have. It’s no excuse that I didn’t know what Yuseifah would have done if he guessed that I don’t mean to accept his ‘gift’ in the spirit he intended, if he would have decided not to let them go. I saw an opportunity to get them out of there without the fuss of breaking the law or handing over any damn coin, but that’s not really to my credit, is it?”
“If I can say it again, I’m sorry,” Aith apologizes, meeting Haleen’s gaze. “I’ll try not to let my idea of my own cleverness get ahead of how I might come across to those I’m trying to help.”
“For what it’s worth, though, I meant it. If any of them think they’re ready now, or if they want to wait until I find a way to get them around the world, and back again, if I can and what they find is that they can’t go back to where they were taken from. I’ll just try to make sure to ask if folk think they might want to run with me, before trying to help them run, or walk, if that’s where they are when we find them.”
It's a rather roundabout way of trying to make a peace offering, but while the mage is unsubtle, she is not perspicuous either.
It reads [b]"'Rest where the isles of night are' or 'where the isles of night rest'. It's hard to say exactly. It's written in ancient Thassilon. I'm not really fluent in that. That's why it's so exhausting to read the books with this phrase in.
"Yuseifah might not have noticed it, but he gave us the perfect opportunity to get those three out of their predicament. It was legal, and it didn't put any money back in any slavers hands to buy more people. In this s$*@ty town they even make you pay a fine if you free a slave, or the person becomes property of the city."
"I've tried buying people out of slavery. It's a pain that makes it worse. Not for those you save, but overall. Imagine buying a poor girl like Meilin to save her, only to find that your overeager attempt to get her out, combined with a severe lack of bargaining skills inspired the slaver to find more of these girls for you. Add in a loan shark and you know why I had to flee Katapesh back then."
"So, if you ever come up with a plan to give your rage an outlet, to come down hard on that lot, I'm in."
Yasmeena accompanies the two women as they go to set up the tent. Perhaps she has a vague thought to be a peacekeeper in case things get dramatic, so she keeps her mouth shut and listens to them both. Fortunately, there is little discomfort and a pleasant meeting of the minds for all. She uncomfortably thinks back on her own experiences with enslavement in their earliest years, but apart from nodding vigorously in support of both of their positions, she finds she can help best by simply doing the labor to get their sleeping accommodations in order.
She gives a small, sheepish grin and tries to take a step back from the seriousness that’s overtaken the day to show she’s not holding on to any hard feelings. “Elbow me in the ribs and tell me I’m being daft, or something. And I’ll definitely make some time for plotting a coup against some slavers while minimizing the chances that innocents could get hurt, maybe once we make sure that that scroll isn’t going to go off now that we’ve started seriously poking at it.”
“Would you believe that before I came to Kelmarane I never had much chance to cause a scandal?” she asks disingenuously, her put-togetherness for the business in town somewhat the worse for the walk through dusty streets, but still betraying someone that’s long used to piping down and paying lip service to the proprieties of her position.
With the tent now set up, Aith continues, “Shall we see if we can get those three a bit more comfortable? I wish I could be more helpful, but apart from some very magical and mathematical things, I can mostly talk about the finer points of small explosions.”
And other ways of efficient renovation, as the long-suffering knights of Kelmarane know all too well, but let’s not mention that.
“Who knows? Maybe seeing the tent will inspire them with an interest in planar geometry,” she says optimistically, proud of her handiwork. “Or maybe they’ll find something in Rayhan’s library. His collection is beyond fabulous.”
And now she’s thinking about the sage’s discovery again. “‘Rest where the isles of night are.’ Sounds lovely, doesn’t it? Unless that means that time and light are very strange there, and that night doesn’t cover the land all at once. Which could still be lovely, I suppose, but would raise so many questions…”
"But I think I get now the appeal of exploding things, and then sort it out when the dust settles. The effect is stunning." Haleen teases Aith.
"Ah, right - planar geometry. Maybe wait some more hours and once the sun sets you do that. Everyone not fast asleep you take to the library then for further education." Haleen suggests.
"I for one, will make use of that bath again. I love that thing. We should build a bath in Kelmarane. Water out of a cruse will no longer do. And I don't think frolicking in the river suits our position anymore."
Days pass and Tariq thanks the routine, for a change. The morning from and pray is usually followed by some chatting with his new acquisition.
"Uh... What was your name again?"
Usually after dinner he finds some time to transcript a pair of Scrolls for his personal hoard. Whoo knows when they'll be essential!
"I'm Shabaka." the man replies with a wide smile.
The three newbies enjoy not being treated as slaves. Nevertheless they feel indepted to the Knights. If not for owing them their chance at freedom, then at least for housing and feeding them. So they try to be useful around the house. Some like it's their second nature - for example Shabaka who knows his way around a kitchen. Meilin is obtrusive in a very polite way, with her offers to help, making it actually harder to get something done. Fadimatou is interested in the magic Aithaloessa is telling about. But her common isn't good enough to understand the fine details. "Aithaloessa speak Mwangi?"
Haleen decides to move to the tent. To her it feels wrong to sent only the newbies to sleep in the garden. And the one bed guest room was crowded with her and Yasmeena in anyway.
A few more trips to town are due to do some more shopping. A nice belt to make her more agile. A nice set of makeup, that is sold for reasons Haleen doesn't get with fake mustaches.
There is also a reddish mahogany box with nice inlay work that catches her eye. It unfolds into a game of backgammon with ebony and ivory stones, inlays and dice.
Also she finds a nice amulet that looks like it's made from a golden dragon's scales. It has nice reflections in the sun. She notices later, that her skin feels kind of callous when wearing it.
When not shopping, eating or sleeping she often spends time in the pool. That is a luxury she is set on getting used to. She also spends time with Meilin. To get to know her better, but also to keep her out of the feet of Eramin. They braid each others hair and exchange stories of their life.
Once it becomes clear that the knights of Kelmarane will have a bit more time before anything concrete will emerge from Rayhan’s research, Aith continues to make herself comfortable in their host’s library.
But first, after making a few discreet inquiries, she sees about manumitting the trio acquired from Yuseifah. She’s a woman of her word, mostly, which is why she’s very particular about when she offers it.
Otherwise, it’s back to spell research and, to the extent she can without getting in his way, trying to catch up with Rayhan on Kakishon and providing a sounding-board for his ideas.
Fadimatou is interested in the magic Aithaloessa is telling about. But her common isn't good enough to understand the fine details. "Aithaloessa speak Mwangi?"
“Er, I’m afraid not. I do know Kelish? Or – naturally – there’s magic! Wait a bit, and we can work something out!”
She also encourages Fadimatou’s explorations in the library (and any by Shabaka and Meilin) and tries to provide any guidance she can about subjects she knows about, but for the first few days there’s a bit of a language barrier that is only somewhat relieved by spells to comprehend languages or the odd castings of tongues that she can beg from Yasmeena while helping with the bard’s wands. After a few of the latter castings, though, Aith works her own net in Rayhan’s library wider and consults with some traders with guild connections in the town proper to tweak the magic if she can.
Once the communication barrier has been reduced, Aith redoubles her efforts to be as supportive of the young Mwangi woman as she can, trying to find introductory level works in Rayhan’s collection, and making sure she’s available for questions and just to model how a mage’s work is done. She’s not sure where Fadimatou’s gifts might lie – if she has any aptitude for magic, there’s no guarantee that she might not make for a more instinctive or inspired caster like Yasmeena or Tariq – but even if she only ever manages to master cantrips, that’s time well spent, by Aith’s reckoning.
After a few days of studying the Scroll of Kakishon, interrupted by trips to the city to aquire additional tomes about certain topics there is a visitor at the door of Rayhan's home.
Marzuk, son of the Mus’ad merchant family, together with a servant of him. The family is from the local nobility and they are loaded. And both shows in the man's appearance. After introductions and handing over of a precious hospitality gift Rayhan invites the guest in for tea.
After exchanging niceties, Marzuk praises the great renown of Rayhan Xobhadi as a scholar for everything related to Nex and in particular about legendary magic such a the Scroll of Kakishon.
"There are rumors that you actually came into possession of something that might be the Scroll of Kakishon. If that is indeed more than just a rumor, our family would be interested to purchase it from you, to add it to our prestigious collection of rare and precious items."
"Well, there is no denying it. I'm examining an magical artifact that hints strongly at being related to Kakishon. But it isn't mine and I don't think the primary intention of the owners is selling it."
It would be rude, wouldn’t it, to leave Rayhan to fend for himself? Probably. Especially if there’s tea involved.
Aith makes sure to join the group in the parlour, bringing a little book along so that she can keep herself out of trouble and not get underfoot while Rayhan and his new visitor chat.
Once Marzuk gets to the point, though, she looks up from where she’s sidelined herself. “Oh, that is interesting, isn’t it? Do you know much about it? All that I’ve ever heard is that the great archmage disappeared, and Kakishon is one part of his legacy.”
She’s being decidedly coy, hoping that whatever rumours are going around, they don’t include that one of Rayhan’s current guests is an elf from Alkenstar that might know just a bit more about Nex than just his name. She does wonder just what the latest gossip is, and just how interested folks like Marzuk’s family are.
She’s not paranoid or anything – as they track down additional volumes and cross-references about town, it’s the sort of thing that clever people (as sages tend to be) would be able to put together – but it would be good to know what the situation is. Or the market: the Pactmasters would be so proud of her for putting it like that!
She notes, mentally, that Marzuk opens with an offer to buy Rayhan out, not to collaborate.
"No. Not really. Only that it is a mysterious artifact surrounded by legends. It would be very prestigious to add it to our collection. And our family is willing to pay 55,000 gold pieces to acquire this legendary item." Marzuk replies.
Yasmeena-- very charming and elegant but also quiet so as not to disturb their host or his guest-- attends the tea with Aithaloessa.
After a long afternoon of talking about this and that, and complimenting each other over tea and pastries Marzuk bids goodbye. But not without reminding Rayhan again, that his familiy is willing to purchase the artifact should it indeed be the the legendary item.
After Marzuk leaves, Yasmeena murmurs with a wink, "Quite a low offer for a legendary artifact. If it were a major artifact."
"For 55,000 gold you could build a wizard academy. Or buy a glorified sword if that is more your thing. But as a price for the Scroll of Kakishon it is only interesting for someone in dire need of money, or someone who doesn't care."
Tariq looks worried. "I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to acquire the scroll with more expeditive ways. He seemd veeery interested, and this sort of people are not used to have their desires unfulfilled."
If there is one thing that works faster than trade in Katapesh it is spreading of rumors about money to be made.
The next day during another walk through the city while browsing the display of a jeweler's shop a woman comes standing next to the group, looking at the wares on display on the table too. Without looking up she starts talking. "Far away from Kelmarane you are. How do you like the big city so far?"
She picks up a necklace that seems to have caught her interest. "I've heard you brought something along with you. An artifact. Such a thing can easily become a heavy burden. I could help you with that. I'll put 30,000 gold in your pockets and you wouldn't have to worry about that anymore."
Tariq’s words seem to prove true all too soon, and Aith wonders about possible countermeasures when they’re accosted while browsing.
“Oh, go on then!” she says jovially, “I wish we trafficked in artifacts! We’re here to resupply, mainly, for some of the more delicate components for some crafting: some small enhancements to arms, and a few other useful trinkets.”
She nods in Antarah's direction, guessing that he wouldn't be heartbroken if another commission comes his way, and holds up a tumbled gemstone that looks like it could be both pretty and useful in any of a number of circlets or necklaces, just to illustrate her point. “I will say that the city is fabulous. I’ve never seen markets like it.”
Haleen snorts as she tries to suppress a laugh at the offer. "Sorry, you should have seen that camel's face."
You are in such a situation. No matter how secretly you try to be. They are as devoted to the scroll as horseflies to an horse's ass.
"I see. Choose well whom you sell it to. Not everyone might take a wrong choice kindly." The woman puts down the necklace and leaves without a further word.
Yasmeena frowns. "It seems that word has spread that we have some sort of valuable artifact. I wonder if we could make an arrangement with one of these buyers, where we agree to say that they purchased it from us, but they are content to take something else in its place? We get them to stop bothering us about it, and they get the status of having bought the newest great object of significance?"
Returning back to Rayhan's home he greets you with more news. "Another party interested in buying the scroll came by while you were away. The One Source Merchant's Guild. This is getting out of hand. And it steals from my precious time to study the artifact. There is no doubt that the scroll is the real thing. So how about taking things back in our own hands?" Rayhan walks up and down in the common room.
"We could have a dinner party, as the cat is obviously out of the bag. You know it is a tradition in the city when expensive sales are in the works. You invite all those interested. And also someone of the clergy of Abadar. To make it official. It's a way to check if a bidding war is possible - in case the item at hand is really for sale."
"In your case it would stop all the people coming over uninvited. Furthermore, it’s best to keep the church informed of big dealings in the merchant world. We don't want those rumors come to the Pactmaster's ears and expose us to their scrutiny. Not selling it would still be an option. I don't believe someone will offer a price that is even close to the Scroll's worth."
Tariq puts on a serious face. "We cannot sell it. Even if only half of what we know about the scroll was true, we couldn't leave this power to unknown hands whose morals are, at best, dubious." He crossed his arms to reinforce his position.
Being followed by a legion of people interested in their doings might be flattering, if said legion was interested in pretty much anything else other than trying to part them from the scroll without so much as a plausible hint as to how to read the thing first, so the idea of turning the tables is rather appealing.
Tariq is right, though, but his firm stance gives her an idea. “Why don’t we put it about that we’ve decided to donate it to a temple as a museum piece or the like? Or even to Kelmarane as a whole, under the ecumenical trusteeship of all the relevant temples and guilds?”
She’s not sure she wants to inflict the care of the thing to the long-suffering Sarenite, especially since she’s not sure what will happen if or when they figure out how to get the scroll to work. Zastoran might be interested, and Nethys is a good fit for such an artifact, but said cleric is perhaps that little bit too cautious about magical experiments, compared to how enthusiastic Aithaloessa tend to be. Still, many hands make light work, and if the hassle Kelmarane’s knights are getting is anything to go by, making sure they don’t hand the scroll over to just one person to fend off pushy collectors might be an idea.
“Make a show of a traveling exhibition, as it were, before it returns home? We could still invite an Abadaran, as part of the whole 'All the gods have blessed us with this find' way of looking at things, and they could still confirm a more reasonable valuation.”
She adds the last bit completely unashamed of her recent abysmal performance with the axe.
"You don't have to declare what you plan to do up front. But the exhibition idea has some charm." You can see in his face that Rayhan would like it best to have this exhibition in his house though, and any solution that would bring this thing, that he studied about all his life, out of his reach again. "But we seem to agree that the party is the best way to get all the ones interested in it out of our hair."
"I'll tell Eramin to write invitations and prepare the party for Sunday."
Tariq opens his eyes widely for just a second when Aith proposes her idea.
"Do you... have a way to make an item appear as if it were magical? I mean, immensely magical. For example, a common scroll that would appear as magical as the Scroll of Kakishon. Just saying." Then he adds "Or, if not as magical as the Scroll of Kakishon is, at least as magical as people might think it is".
"Are you suggesting to delude one of them, to divert the attention away from us and as a side effect make a decent coin?"
"Well... not exactly. Just the deluding thing. I would hesitate to try a con and sell a fake - they might notice, and I'm not sure we want to bear with the consequences. Poor Rayhan here would also have to deal with it."
"But if we, say, donate the scroll to a museum or a temple... And we keep the real scroll... I mean, if you robbed a fake, you still robbed, so you wouldn't air it, right?"
“Deviously cunning. I like it,” Aith pronounces, with a wide smile. “I’m afraid I don’t have anything at my fingertips, exactly, but we are in just the right place.”
She nods her thanks to Rayhan, who is being so obliging about his library being thoroughly explored by an elven bookworm who is making herself very comfortable indeed. She’ll see if Fadimatou feels up to helping search the shelves for the obvious places to start from, and then…
“Faking the power behind the scroll would be more difficult, but,” she pauses dramatically as the details start to fall into place, “I think there are ways that we could manage it. It would be a bit … extravagant, but it would be spectacular too! We’d need some amber dust, and probably some cinnabar… Oh, and we’d probably want some dummy text that we could work up, maybe some less recondite Nexian lore that wouldn’t encourage anyone too close along our trail.”
"Admit it. It would explode in someone's face." Haleen jokes.
How about making it some magic writing, that is revealed by read magic. There put a spell rune, that does a greater teleportation(also conjuration) to the plane of eternal sunshine (of the spotless mind). Bluff people to believe that the first one trying it and disappearing is now probably in Kakishon without a way out and no one else will try again.
"Uh... I just thought it would be useful if possible, but the exact details are behind my knowledge. This kind of magic theory is more suited for you, Aith."
"Oh, by the way, at such events some entertainment is expected. Can you provide that?" Rayhan adds nonchalantly.
"I'm sure my god friend Haleen is capable of a show worth remembering, and Aithaloessa the Mage Pistoleer will surely not fall behind" Tariq comments, silently laughing. "However, our real star is Yasmeena, capable of captivating the audience with her dance while she shoots a pugwampi in the eye from a hundred feet away."
"Wonderful."
Rayhan walks off in search for Eramin.
The remaining week flies by and the evening of the dinner is closing in.
The dinner party itself is scheduled for sunset. Rayhan has Eramin handle most of the preparations but asked the knights to buy some wine durign the day.
The guests start to arrive as early as an hour before sundown, and it falls to the Knights of Kelmarane to keep them entertained until the meal starts.
The first to arrive is a halfling, that introduces himself as Tamir. He doesn’t extravagantly, opting instead for comfortable but clean and well-tailored clothes and a constant smile.
"I'm here as an associate of the One Source Merchants’ Guild, working as an independent scout and agent paid to seek out attractive new prospects and exotic artifacts. They like me all the time to handle purchases of 'sensitive matters.'"
Shortly after the woman from the market arrives. Badra is dressed in a decorative red silk dress and gold silk scarves. Her attitude is one of grim endurance.
Marzuk is next. He arrives dressed in an expensive white outfit with a silk turban. As he already met with the group, introductions are short. But he takes the time to compliment the ladies appearance.
The alst to arrive is Kazim, the official representative of the church of Abadar. You notice from the attitude of the others towards her, that she is the most important person this evening.
She wears an elegant but simple white and green robe. She is observant and quiet at the party, but when she speaks (usually to compliment someone or to make an observation that is relatively obvious), the other guests listen attentively and agree with her in an almost exaggerated manner.
Aith decides (probably uncharacteristically wisely, all things considered) not to offer that she and Antarah could sing and play the flute, respectively. Haleen and Yasmeena are much better performers in one form of martial dance or another, at the very least, to say nothing of Yaz's oud.
She does take Tariq’s hint, and decides to see what she can work out for some pyrotechnics – alchemical, not arcane, probably. Unless Rayhan and his guests are much more adventurous than she expects they are.
More importantly, though, she spends the days before the party doing her level best to create a plausible replica of the scroll of Kakishon in case anyone gets any ideas: the one can be displayed while the other can remain safely with the Knights of Kelmarane.
That mostly means collating bits and pieces of inconsequential rumours and lore about the place from Rayhan’s researches and transferring them to a spare bit of old parchment in an approximation of the style of lettering on the real thing, before layering on a series of spells to confuse the issue: one to make the scroll look magical in its own right, one to hide her text behind the single rune that appears on the scroll of Kakishon when it’s dormant, and, most cruelly, one trap that should discourage too much meddling by anyone with light fingers.
When the evening of the party arrives, she’s well and ready to be done with the thing, and tries to take comfort from the fact that she’s been able to prepare some more exciting spells in case there is some trouble. Not that she’s paranoid or anything, after everyone and her grandmother has come up to the group trying to separate the scroll from them.
She’s not actually a historian, so as she circulates, she rather hopes she’s not too boring, technical, and stuffily mage-like as she compares notes with the guests about how they think the scroll might work and what Kakison might be like, if it’s a pocket plane. She does try, though, to stress that the scroll is going back to be kept by the clergy in Kelmarane, and downplays the likelihood that it actually could be the real deal, as opposed to just another hint towards the right direction.
Yasmeena proceeds to play the oud for the duration of the event, moving through the party in her Pageant of the Peacock stance. She tries to stay close to Aithaloessa, to assist her with information gathering and aid her by translating spoken words.
Haleen puts on her good dress. She likes social events. If there is food, or if she has a task to do. Standing around and doing small talk is not her thing. Especially if there are secrets that need keeping.
She keeps close to Kazim, as in her presence most people seem to address her. So that should be safe.
Marzuk exchanges a few words with everyone. But in the end he ends up talking to Yasmeena. "I'd like to know how you came into possession of this scroll." Evaluating if she seems willing to talk about those details he adds "Or if you want to keep this secret for now, we could talk where you found this marvelous dress. Although it's probably you wearing it, that makes it extraordinary."
Tamir stays with the guys and tries to endear himself to them by telling jokes. "What do you call a blonde, who rides so badly, that it kills the mount?"
"The straw, that broke the camel's neck."
After laughing at his own joke he inquires "What's your favorite joke?"
As the appointed hour approaches, the partygoers move to the dining room. Rayhan waits until everyone is seated, before he taps a spoon against a crystal wineglass and raises a toast.
"Welcome, honored guests! Kakishon has long been a place of myth and legend. Some scholars had turned away from the notion of this place after convincing themselves that the place was pure legend and did not truly exist. I distinctly recall the suspicion I felt just a few days ago when these fine folk arrived with what they believed was the Scroll of Kakishon itself. After seeing so many charlatans and forgeries in my life, it was hard to believe at first—but I believe what these folk have brought me may indeed be the real thing. I complete my research and appraisal in a few days, at which point we can talk prices. For now, though, let this toast be for the heroes who have brought to Katapesh a piece of history!"