Sir Landry of Orleans's page

Toshiro is curious about some of the creatures.

"These are strange animals you speak of. Can they be communicated with?"

Some of them can be spoken with, I suppose... The impunundu, or "lightning bird", the shape-shifter I spoke of... They can speak with voices like men... They sometimes serve as familiars to evil sorcerers and witch doctors... But some, like the bandersnatch and the grootslang... are just dumb, savage beasts without language...

Ihrin curtsies to Landry and smiles."A pleasure to meet you again Sir Landry, I hope you haven't had too much issues here while under your rule? Maybe you could before we take off discus your day to day while eating." She says with courtly grace dropping her disguise before assuming it again.

Emir Sir Landry orders his servants to prepare a feast for his esteemed guests. The cooks of the Royal Palace of Marrakech prepare a grand feast of skewered lamb kabobs, goat kabobs, fried herring, goat cheese, dates, steamed snails, nuts, exotic fruits, and various tarts, cakes, and other confections. As the adventurers dine and wash down their meal with cold ale or wine, Landry describes his daily routines.

A great deal of my attention is spent managing the Arena... The people demand at least weekly matches to wager on, and wealthy sheyks and emirs with monstrous menageries or stables of gladiator slaves frequently bring their champions here to settle disputes in the Arena, or simply to place wagers on matches... The rest of my time is taken up arbitrating petty disputes between citizens, or attending to municipal matters...

"I fear not the creatures of my homeland Sir Landry.MOther Africa is watching not only me but those with me. As for now, she has not seen any horror you wish to bring to me or my people. You seek the same goal as too remove the Arabs from our lands and thus free our people from bondage. So worry not." She says curtsying to Landry before she stops.

"Oh Sir Landry did some Kunari people come to Marrakesh? I sent word for them to come and join in the campaign for freedom? Some should have gone to Safi as well?" She asks with a smile happy to be home.

Mwikali would get a camel and a donkey

Your friend Wulfgar, the Northman, sent a letter by raven from Safi, reporting that some Kunari have approached Safi, led by the Talking Tiger, and friendly relations are being facilitated between the monks of Safi, the Kunari, and the Portuguese, at least for now. Some Kunari have also come here to Marrakesh, to see the infamous Arena of Death and the menagerie of monsters below... They were welcomed and given a tour of the Arena and the menagerie... They might still be here, at one of the caravanserais in the Kasbah or the Medina... While you are here in Marrakech, you are my honored guests, and are under the protection of the Emir himself! Landry smiles at Mwikali and bows.

Because the Emir of Marrakech happens to also be Cardinal Lucius D'Borja's cohort, Sir Landry Du Orleans, the prices of mounts and provender is reduced by 10% after haggling. Other items are still normal price after haggling.

Sir Landry Du Orleans, Emir of Marrakech, and cohort of Cardinal Lucius D'Borja, greets the expedition warmly, glad that worthy heroes with better capability and armaments are picking up the quest that he and his brother knights Templar first attempted but failed.

To Cardinal Lucius in French: Greetings, Your Grace. Welcome to Africa! I hope that Our Lord and His angels keep you safe from evil or accident on this expedition to King Solomon's Mines. May God almighty bless you and speed you on your way! But before you go, I should warn you of the perils my brothers and I encountered on the road to those fabled mines.

Landry's face seems to pale as he recalls the harrowing ordeal that he alone of six Templar Knights survived...

There are strange monsters dwelling in Africa, My Lord... Dark beasts with mysterious magic... A shapeshifting bird as big as a man who can call lightning bolts from stormy skies... Terrible predators like great, six-legged tigers, called bandersnatches!... And a beast that combines the worst features of elephant and cobra called the grootslang!... Great lizards that swim in the rivers and lakes, monsters from an earlier eon...

On the morning of Thursday, 24th January, around 10 o' clock, a raven delivers a letter to Cardinal Lucius D'Borja at his Palazzo in Rome.

To His Grace, Cardinal Lucius D'Borja,
From his grateful servant and brother in Jesus Christ, Landry D'Orleans in Marrakech

My dear Cardinal Lucius D'Borja,
I hope this missive finds you well in Rome. All is at peace here in Marrakech, and the Arena of Death has been renamed the Arena of Glory, and is being governed with more care and Christian benevolence than it was in the odious hands of the Turks. A considerable profit should be expected from the admission fees paid by these bloodthirsty Arabs to spectate the matches between free paid gladiators and criminals, monsters, and wild beasts brought in and purchased from hunters.

You will perhaps recall the circumstances that led to my captivity at the Arena of Death. I had been captured by Arab slavers after a failed expedition of my brother knights Templar to the fabled Mines of King Solomon. We had been ill-prepared for the horrors we encountered during that doomed expedition. I alone survived. But perchance a stronger expedition, better prepared and equipped, might prevail where we poor brothers of the Temple of Solomon failed.

For this reason, I am writing to you, and enclosing a map drawn by my own hand of the vicinity of those fabled and perilous mines. There is doubtless great treasure to be found there, enough to finance an army to quell the evil Church of Lucifer. But there be dangers as well, as I have born witness to. Be cautious, should you choose to use this map to pursue the quest that my poor fellow knights and I have failed at.

I am ever your faithful servant, Landry.

With this letter is a map, the OVERLAND MAP OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES, posted at the top of the board.

Fortunately for those who might condemn her, lusts aren't too much of a problem! For Lucius at least. (Btw. He can speak Slavic (now) in case that matters to you ;))

re. Loot: Tweaked the loot list a bit (since the carpet was on it twice). Lucius has dibbed on the carpet since he benefits most from not being in easy range now and I put Ihrin down for the winged boots.

Still some really good stuff out there if people want it. On the subject of all the heavy armor, my cohort (either Rodrigo or Sir Landry) would probably be happy to use it!

You bet I would!

"Mines of Solomon?" She tapped her chin."Could you give us a map or some of the clues you have so we may look for them?" Mwikali says looking over the two still unsure what the kneeling often did. It wasn't like they were naked and vulnerable to there god? It was odd but it was their way.

Sir Landry looks at Mwikali with haunted eyes and slowly shakes his head...

I am sorry, my lady... But I cannot in good conscience lead you to go to that terrible place... For King Solomon's Mines lie within a savage kingdom called Kukuanaland, near the Kalukawe River... A place where cruel black savages sacrifice their enemies to demons! I pray thee, my lady... Do not ever go there!

Replying to Cardinal Lucius' query, Sir Landry speaks in French-accented English: After our order was outlawed by King Philip the Fair, and our master, Jaques DeMolay, was burnt at the stake, the few Poor Brothers of the Temple who survived went into hiding. The order has persisted in secrecy to this day, Your Grace. Our purpose remains the same as ever--to protect the faithful against the enemies of Christ, and to find and preserve the lost relics of our faith. Myself and three other Poor Brothers came to Africa in search of the fabled mines of King Solomon... Alas, we failed to discover the lost mines... Worse, we fell into the hands of a band of Arab slavers who took us prisoner and sold us to the Emir of Marrakech, Some three days before last Easter... All three of my brothers have died in the Arena of Death, slain by fearsome monsters! I am the last...

Sir Landry fights back tears as he shamefully recounts the harrowing tragedy. Regaining composure, he kisses Cardinal D'Borja s ring and vows: My sword and my life are yours to command, Father!

A French Templar Knight (the order having gone underground after its persecution) is among the prisoners freed that day. He falls on his knees in prayer, longsword drawn point down, and gives praise and thanks to Jesus for his salvation and liberation...

And lo, the prisoner leaps to lose his chains!