To his excellence, the esteemed Burhy Al Quatma,
Cousin, I am writing to inform you that I arrived safely at the Estate of the Hir Stone in good time. They were most appreciative of your gifts. The fine spices, of which I used only a small amount on the journey here to make my meals palatable- which I am sure is what you intended, were unlike anything they had ever experienced. The silver was untouched and I assume will be greatly welcome as the house is small, crowded, and not well provided with comforts.
I must relate the strange customs of this new land. My first evening in the House of Ama was very eventful. The first person I encountered was their Doorman, an Easterner named Jiro. Since I am well educated in his language, we became fast friends. Thanks to your letter of introduction, I was immediately granted an audience with the Masters of the house.
The Lady Ama and her witch Morgan heard my tale of toiling in the Golem’s workshop in a fugue state for some years until they banished the Djinn and paved the way to my freedom. They instantly recognized the usefulness of my talents and accepted my offer of servitude to House Stone as repayment for my life-debt.
I seemed to have arrived just prior to some social event. A gentleman caller of Lady Ama named Slynt arrived for dinner accompanied by some holy warriors of the dead god Arken.
Exhausted by my travel, I retired to my quarters, which were shared and spartan but acceptable in warmth and dryness, which seems in short supply in these lands. No sooner had I relaxed and been served a bowl of soup, when Jiro appeared, told me my soup was poisoned, and rushed off. I found this a peculiar way to treat a guest and left my quarters to investigate (and find some un-poisoned fare). In the entrance hall, the guards of the Holy Warrior were in various states of incapacitation from ingesting the poison soup. I could hear some heated discussion in the dining hall, but did not understand the language.
Again Jiro appeared, succinctly stated: “We’re under attack. I am going to flank them.” And disappeared again, which is his custom.
The attackers had the same idea, for the door Jiro headed for opened and a Wild Elf and Lizardman tried to sneak in. The Lizardman held a jar with some thumb sized creature, which seemed nefarious to me, so I let loose a flash of light that blinded him. Jiro appeared again from the shadows and entangled the lizard in a chain in a most thorough manner. He then proceeded to apply the “Death of a thousand cuts” which broke the lizardman’s spirit and he surrendered.
Not sure what danger the thumb beast was, I apportated it in a rug across the street and deposited it safely behind the wall of an estate across the street.
The fighting in the dining room resolved around the same time. None of our side had been significantly harmed, and several captives were taken. I don’t completely understand what went on but it seems to be some sort of labor dispute led by one of Lady Ama’s household staff named Saga. This kind of rebellion by servants is incomprehensible in our culture. Curiously, they did not summarily execute the offenders. I can only assume they are saving them for some long term torture.
The excitement ended, I was finally able to obtain some untainted victuals while the prisoners were interrogated. The lizard-beast revealed that one of the Hirs of Cove, the Magistrate, would be assassinated this very night by a third party.
It was decided to warn the Magistrate of this after some discussion. Although there was apparently some trust issues with the magistrate, Lady Ama decided that having the information and not warning him would make her complicit. This is all well and good, for Noblemen should not be murdered in their beds like dogs. Such actions lead to chaos and anarchy. If the time comes for us to challenge this noble, we will do so on the field of honor.
Jiro ran the letter across the street and delivered it the Magistrate’s estate. Despite his emphasis on the urgency of this being about life and death, it turns out later the warning went unheeded. But I get ahead of the story…
On the way back to House Stone Jiro was delivered a note by Raven. The writer demanded the return of the Elven and Lizard prisoners and stipulated a meeting by one person at the Golden Mule within the hour.
Aware this could be a trap, or a ruse to empty the house of defenders, I volunteered to be the negotiator, as I had no value as a hostage to the enemy. Morgan and Jiro shadowed me there. There was a minor event outside the Golden Mule- a young noble was being accosted by a band of commoners. He was forced to kill one and then they dispersed. He then vomited and collapsed, apparently too much drink. This was no state to leave a gentleman in, so I brought him inside and had him taken to a room to sleep it off. I paid out of his own pocket, not wanting to embarrass him by making him beholding to a stranger in any fashion.
Inside I made contact with the leader of the Elven attackers, a dark haired woman calling herself Lethold or some such. I told her that her manners were atrocious and her negotiating skills abysmal. We held the advantage, so we dictated the terms. It was she that may send one person to negotiate with us at a place and time of our choosing and convenience. But preferably tomorrow after 9th candle as we had some previous commitments this evening. With that I left.
On return to the Manse, Lady Ama had decided the group would go to the bathhouse to intercept the attack on the Magistrate. Do these people ever sleep? So there would be no rest for poor Rajun this night.
Lady Ama, her two witches Morgan and Nicole, a leader of the Arken Knights Sidilicious, their manservant Jiro and I went off to the bath house. Jiro spied a getaway boat outside, indicating the assassins were already inside. We went in and found the Magistrate in the main hot bath. The keen eyed Knight spotted some disturbance in the water. Jiro had gone in ahead and found a woman playing a queer silent pipe. He managed to grapple her arms with his chain weapon but the pipe fell and shattered on the stone floor. This left the tool of their assassination attempt, a greater water elemental, suddenly out of control. It rose from the pool, angry and lashing jets of high speed water in all directions.
Jiro and I grabbed the sorceress and attempted to escape with her, but a blast of water narrowly missed us as we dodged aside. The bound woman was not so fortunate and tossed against a column which snapped her neck. If I was not such a gentleman I would perhaps find amusement that the assassin was instead killed by her own creation. I am not so callous a beast, however, and there was a pang of sadness as I watched her crumpled body slide doll-like to the floor.
The witch Nicole was blasted with a water fist so strong it pushed her into the stone wall. I feared her dead, although later it was revealed she survived through her magics.
Morgan was a safe distance away and started to prepare the Banishment spell. Jiro rushed the Holy Symbol of the assassin to her, hoping it might help.
The Arken knight used his “Shining wood” on the elemental but it seemed to have no effect. The magistrate sobered up enough to participate in his own defense and threw a huge fireball at the beast but this only brought a mere second of relief as it receded into the water to heal.
I was tempted to flee, as I had no offense or defense against such a creature, but I remembered my duty to the Lady Ama, who had shown no fear when she descended into the Djinn’s lair to save me. Indeed this small woman had run to the magistrate’s side, alone among all these heroes, in attempt to pull him out of the pool. Using my enchantments, I jumped to her side and advised her I would get her away from the danger.
It was not an instant too soon, as the refortified Elemental, enraged at the magistrate’s attack (as if the beast could be made even more angry or deadly) turned into a tidal wave to pound down on the magistrate’s position. I leapt to safety with Lady Ama but the wave crashed into the Magistrate and Sir Sedulicious and I feared they were both dead.
There was no time to waste, however. I heard the plea from Morgan- she needed more Mana to banish the beast. Once more I leapt to her side and formed a link with her. “I am at your disposal, Madam”.
The witch Morgan was very skilled, yet it still took every bit of her energy and will to return the beast to the water plane.
The encounter was over. By miracles, the Magistrate and the knight survived.
One member of the assassin team survived and after a brief chase through the sewers was brought to heel and interrogated.
The assassins were apparently not hired swords but political agents of Philipi? I admit that current events are not my strong suit, so I left it to others to unravel the intrigue while I finally claimed my well earned rest. It had been I first day of no small energy expenditure, I tell you, my cousin.
Regards,
Rajul Hadidum
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