((This should take place well before his kidnapping I'm thinking. We can hammer a time out later!))
Serendipity was a place that was loved for certain reasons. The economy was stable and strong, it was a prosperous nation in that regard. The king wasn't a bad fellow at all, he understood taxes and no one really suffered because of it. Sure, serfdom was a very primitive thing in his mind, but most of the Lords and Ladies of Serendipity didn't have their serfs listed as "expendable cattle" so he was okay with that. Slavery was the same way, but he did not deal in slavery. There was a lot of things that he was willing to do for money, but human trafficking was not something.
The plan had taken a few weeks to work up, but nothing that couldn't be handled easily. Lots of people had to have been paid off, and his best spy had to be put to work to watch the King. Habits, tactics, personality, and all those other fun little things. The king thankfully had a habit of well...going off on a little adventure. This would work to his utmost advantage. He had to pick a place, where lots of people would be, and he even had to arrange a few things there.
Not that they were trouble, had to pay a few merchants so he could work in front of their actual businesses without being run off by guards and what not.
This was a pretty big ploy, and it would be surprising to learn that it was merely meant...to introduce one's self to the King. He could have made an appointment, sure, anyone can make an appointment. That might have taken months, and well, that would not do. That would not do at all. The next thing, was to show the king his skill. Making an appointment and keeping it was no skill, but subtly directing the King to notice you...that was skilled.
Everything was set. Busy market place, a few jugglers and street performers here and there...and not to mention his textile and produce shipments had 'finally' arrived. Being a man who called himself a Merchant Lord, he had certain sway with how things would go. Maybe a shipment took longer, maybe it got stopped to be inspected thoroughly, or maybe it was quick...or perhaps it never went where it needed to go.
The man in question was an unassuming looking fellow. People didn't remember him, because he screamed of looking so average. His face was plain and honest, and people had a hard time describing him. Short brown hair, combed forwards, with the bangs out of his soft green eyes of course. He was a very average man, his height, his weight, his build, he could have been the description for a thousand other somewhat young brown haired men. That was the key to his being, because if he wore a moustache, a beard, people remembered him in different countries and towns as a man with a different name.
Serendipity knew him as Damari Renneker, a clothier of sorts. He had a small reputation, nothing overly extravagant. He didn't need a big title though, a big name to be used here, he wanted to be low-key. If people started spreading rumours around because of all his...extra-curricular activities, they'd have thought someone BIG was coming to town. Someone who was really important in the Merchant world, someone you didn't want to mess with. But Damari? A simple man, a simple name, with a simple desire to sell his clothes.
Travelling under an assumed name, under a new identity, it was a perfect cover to ensure that his deliveries were made on time finally, properly dispersed throughout the capital city. After all, a lot of money was put into the merchant shipping lanes, and you had to make a profit on the whole thing. He might have take a hit on profits for this particular business trip, but the end result, he hoped, was going to be worth a lot more. Money could be remade, easily, but friendships with powerful people were a rare commodity. Being able to drop the name of a King made up for a lot of things. Even if the particular name didn't back you, if it held enough sway, it could save your life, or even give you a little leverage until they put things together.
The plan was sweet, nearly perfect, and if it failed, no one would know.
Those were always the best ones.
In the portion of Arca where things bordered between rich and poor, was where it was going down. It was relatively busy, but not busy enough that any noble wouldn't want to check it out. A great shipment had finally arrived, which meant that now things had to be sold off. Clothes, textiles, rugs, furniture, and even fine produce. The merchants were focused on getting the news out, that the market was booming, and at very fair prices. That was always the thing, if a shipment was late it meant that the merchants would sell at a reduce price, if only to make SOME profit off it. He'd have to make sure that he didn't disrupt any more shipments to Arca for quite some time but...this was a special matter.
One wagon setting up shop had focused more on clothing and attire than anything. The wagon's wares had been unloaded and carefully placed onto fold out tables and even a few racks for the stuff that obviously wanted to be sold quicker. When you folded a bunch of clothes up and put it on a table, people weren't going to look at it as much, but if you set it on a rack for everyone to see, they'd surely take a gander at it. At his main table, he made sure to put a few bits of jewellery and the like, brooches, necklaces, special cloak clasps, rings and what not.
This was a day that hopefully the King would decide to take a venture down to it. After all, there were so many people here, and a monarch sometimes got an itch to speak to his subjects. It was a good technique, come to the people, instead of having them gather in a town square or something along those lines. Sure it was a bit dangerous, but the King was favourable, well liked, assassination attempts were a far cry for the norm.
Damari supposed, if he looked at it from an outsiders angle, the whole thing smelled of an assassination. Had he not organize this himself...well, he'd believe it. He put on his simple finery, black hose leggings, a simple green tunic with a yellow belt tied around his waist. He even wore a hat, a quaint beret of sorts that he tilted to one side. His helper was also ready for when the real show started. A young girl, paid to look at his jewellery and clothes with interest. She was from the poorer side of town, and the thought of making a few silvers had been more than enough incentive. He made sure she looked it too, not that she needed too much help. A smudge of dirt here, some messed up hair there, a few new patches on her dress.
People were already looking at his items as well, and soon he was starting to sell his merchandise. The best thing was to empty your wagon in one city, but leave that same city with a full wagon. after all, why waste the empty space? Even if he were to leave this city with a wagon full of potatoes or turnips, it would still mean he'd get a little extra money.
He just had to make sure he had enough for when...and if...the King stopped by. Some things in life could be guaranteed, but they could be swayed to the utmost degree that the chance of something happening was very high.