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I have been extended an invitation on behalf of the Sothis lodge, they owed my benefactors in the royal a favor and it was...convenient for me to leave Osirion at this time.
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The dwarf puts away the books and papers. "Ah, well, welcome then. Don't need an invitation to come have a drink and talk shop at my table. Just catching up on some reports and enjoying the warmth. Keep getting sent to so many chilly and downright unfriendly places...and always seem to end up on a boat at some point. Give me warm, dry ground under my feet any day."
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Yes well the full story is a tad complicated but you must understand that I am not Osirion by birth, I originally hail from the city of Katheer in the Satrap of Qadira. My family had a small but wealthy estate, which I was to inherit. I found myself imprisoned, I won't bore you with the details but it was for a crime I did not commit. I then...left prison and found myself accused of several crimes that I DID commit and threw myself upon the mercy of the Osirion Court. They extended me asylum and gave me a fairly prestigious scholarly position. Apparently my association with my...friend.
Unfortunately my reputation appears to have followed me to Sothis and I was advised by my Osirion benefactors that I should leave the country. Officially I am a government scholar who travels under the protection of the magnanimous Prince Khemet. Unofficially, I cannot expect much direct protection from the throne and I was advised to take up a position here, among the Pathfinders.
Apparently your people have need of someone with "extraplanar" knowledge.
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Cruadorn takes a big swig from his mug. "The Pathfinders are always lookin' for individuals with knowledge, extraplanar and otherwise. Helps with all the explorin' and such, and they do so love their paperwork. As for joining the society for protection, well, most of us try to look out for each other, but someone or something is always looking to stick something sharp in you. It's a rare mission that doesn't end up violent at some point. As for your past "indiscretions", well, they probably wouldn't have let you join if they had a problem with it. They always seem to know more about you than you know about yourself, so they must have seen some potential in you. That makes you good in my book, so welcome."
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Yes, s-some of us are rocks that must s-s-stay in place. You are not. You are like the water that goes s-s-stale if it sits to long.
We are glad that you are here with your knowledge. Your knowledge will s-s-save the lives of my friends.
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Yes, s-some of us are rocks that must s-s-stay in place. You are not. You are like the water that goes s-s-stale if it sits to long.
Honestly if I had no other choice I would remain in Osirion but my political benefactors at court are running out of ways to keep me from prosecution. It is far too cold in this part of the world for my tastes. That sea breeze is chilling.
As for joining the society for protection, well, most of us try to look out for each other, but someone or something is always looking to stick something sharp in you. It's a rare mission that doesn't end up violent at some point.
I think protection might be the wrong word... fortification is perhaps a better word to use.
As for your past "indiscretions", well, they probably wouldn't have let you join if they had a problem with it. They always seem to know more about you than you know about yourself, so they must have seen some potential in you.
Yes...I've been meaning to ask about that. When I first arrived, I attempted to...shade the truth a little about my motives for joining. Mr. Valsin seemed to know everything already, he claimed that the Society's leaders already informed him of my situation. I'm beginning to wonder where they get their information.
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Cruadorn shrugs. "No idea where they get their info. They might have gotten some of it from the Prince himself. They always manage to dig it up, no matter how deep you thought you buried it. They obviously did not have any issue with whatever you may have done in the past. As far as I'm concerned, your past is your business. We all have skeletons, shadows, sheep, or whatever in our closets, but it is those experiences make us who we are today. That's what's important, to both your companions and to the Society. Just my opinion though."
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"Woo, that is a long name. If it is okay with you, I think I will stick with Rafiq. As for me, my give name is Cruadorn Sand-Born. As you have probably noticed, with my blonde beard, blue eyes, and skin the color of the Osirian desert, I don't fit the usual description of a dwarf. I am what you might call a Pahmet, or a "Sand" Dwarf. My travelin' companion here is Riddywhipple. Still haven't figured out why he chose to travel with me, but I must admit, I have grown quite fond of his company."
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I am what you might call a Pahmet, or a "Sand" Dwarf.
Ah yes, I have lived in Osirion long enough to have met a few of your kind. I had a rare encounter with a few of your Ouat Monks of Tar Kuata a few years ago. My past experiences with the Pahmet have been cordial, though I admit I encounter you less frequently than the Ifrit and the Undine.
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"I have not met more than a handful of my people, and the few I have met have been polite, but tended to be rather secretive. Certainly not a forthcoming lot. See, I never knew my parents. I was actually found as an infant out in the western Osirion deserts by a group of Pathfinders. One of their dwarven members took pity on me, and sort of adopted me. He took me back to his home in Tar-Kazmukh to be raised by his family and clan. Once I was old enough, joining the society seemed the best way to learn more about my people and get the opportunity to travel back to Osirion. Even though I was not raised there, those lands are in my blood, and I have always felt drawn to them."