Prelude - Silence and the Sundering Sword
6th Day of Descending Water, RY 768
About one month ago
When Maryam Lamya-kin set off from Chiaroscuro on her latest journey, one that might ultimately keep her abroad for months if not years, Tybalt was there to see her off. The handsome self-proclaimed 'Prince of Thieves' parted ways with her with a smile and a kiss on the cheek. Aunt Nabiha would have looked askance at the kiss, as well she should given the fickle nature of thieves and wanderers, but Maryam is an adult now, as Tybalt has been since she first met him. And Maryam herself is a wanderer now, too, though perhaps not as much of a scoundrel. Maybe.
Tybalt had words for her, too, the sort of advice her beloved aunt couldn't give. "Be careful out there - the West is a cutthroat place. Demons, pirates and undead, oh my!" Of course Maryam is no fool; she's sailed before and certainly had heard tales of the Lintha, if not had run-ins with Lintha brothers or sisters trying to make their mark at sea. She knows the pirates of Coral are known to venerate Siakal, Western God of Battle, and that Skullstone venerates undeath and strives for expansion throughout the West.
Still, Tybalt clasped her shoulder for a time and whispered to her, "This is no ordinary mission, my eyes and ears tell me the artifact Zafar Sami has you transporting is something of grave importance. I don't think even Lucan knows what it is. And it's probably better that way. So I mean it - be careful. May our paths cross again soon, friend."
And then he was gone, leaving Maryam to wonder why he was so worried, and what exactly was this 'Sundering Sword', anyway? The name was all Tybalt would tell. Nonetheless, Maryam had little time to fuss about the details; Eduardo Lucan, being a Guild man and all, was a stickler for being on time. So she packed her things, hugged her aunt goodbye, and headed to the Guild outpost where Eduardo would be waiting with the caravan... and Zafar's mysterious package.
Descending Water - Ascending Earth, RY 768
The journey so far
When Zafar Sami asked to have the Sundering Sword delivered to him in An-Teng, he all but demanded that it not be transported by sea. That was the first and foremost point of the contract, the second being to never open the package, no matter how tempting it might be, and the third that it must travel in its own wagon, alone, touching no other item but its specially made container.
They had to travel discreetly. So that meant braving the Fire Mountain Pass, bringing Eduardo's caravan and herself through the mountain range west of the Lap. On the other side lay the An-Teng High Lands, where the mountains gradually slope down into fertile hills, and they would be able to ride river-boats the rest of the way to the City of the Steel Lotus. There, they would meet Zafar in the Market District, who would be visiting with an acquaintance of his, an arms dealer known only by the name 'Horus.'
Eduardo had no qualms about taking the contract, and offering Maryam a job as guard and scout. He is one of the few merchant princes who regularly travel that pass, and knows its shortcuts and pitfalls like the back of his hand.
Unfortunately, few journeys go completely without a hitch, and this one is no different.
This message was last edited by the GM at 22:23, Tue 01 Dec 2009.