A Chance Arrangement

[Ravenbraid]

In a quiet back alley establishment, Ragya waited for what could be her next lead in hunting a djinn that was supposedly influencing certain Merchant Princes. Through the cousin of a friend of a sister of the Hand she'd been put into contact with someone with possible connections to the Merchant Prince Kellok. The man was infamous for his cruelty as a slave owner. His rivals spoke no end of rumors that his success stemmed from a dark deal struck with a djinn. Merchant Princes would often alledge such things of each other, but it was the duty of the Hand to discern whether the rumors were true.

Whether or not Kellok was truly conspiring with dark forces was what Ragya sought to find out. Despite the pleasantly warm evening, she remained covered from head to toe in dark traveler's clothing. She was oddly modest for an Essyrni woman. As she waited, she wondered what her potential employer would be like. She could only hope that someone with ties to a man like Kellok would treat their hired help kindly.

[Art Credit: me, I drew this]

[Codex]

Zakram could've sworn he'd passed the place by now, but the possibility of it still being a little farther ahead was also an option, even if he wasn't exactly sure. The young noble, despite his obvious look of confusion didn't stand out among the crowd thankfully. Zakram had learned a long time ago not to rely on his father's money or influence so he had gotten used to blending in with the general populace of Essyrn. That being said, it didn't exactly help his navigation skills as much though. He had never visited this part of town before, and to him it looked just like every other busy street in the capital. Crowded with people, mostly human but he did notice a few other races as well stuck in the mix.

Sighing to himself Zakram lifted a small piece of parchment from his coat and studied the information written on it closely once again. He cocked his head around once more to see if he was anywhere near the right place, and as luck would have it, he was! Giving an internal sigh of relief, the noble carefully made his way through the crowds of people and into a small back alley. Caution hadn't left him just yet, as he carefully inspected the surroundings and taking note of any suspicious individuals that also eyed him just as much. He couldn't lie to himself and say he wasn't nervous... If any of these sketchy people knew who he was they'd likely take full advantage of his situation and leave him bleeding in the alley with all his valuables gone. Of course, Zakram had to come to terms with that when he agreed to meet here after all. He didn't know much about his contact, other than she had a reputation for guarding caravans and the like through dangerous parts of the desert. That's exactly what he needed. While it was true Zakram could not make his dream possible without the help and influence of some of Essyrn's nobles, he trusted the lower class far more than them.

Finally finding the door Zakram gave a nervous nod to a muscular man standing next to it and made his way inside, lowering his hood as he observed the tavern. It was quiet, and didn't have a lot of people in it. Good, the less eyes the better. He scanned for several moments before spotting a young woman clad head to toe in black clothing. Zakram felt nervous just looking at her. He had to admit he hadn't had a ton of dealings with these kinds of people before, so he wasn't quite sure what could happen... However he had to trust in the promise of payment as his shield for now. Besides, its not like she knew who he was.

The noble shifted the bag on his back slightly before making his way over to the woman, sitting at her table across from her. He made no trouble to hide his face as he observed her. "You're my contact, yes?" He asked, his voice shaking slightly as he slipped the piece of parchment onto the table so that Ragya could see it. It acted as proof that Zakram was the man she was supposed to meet. Even if Zakram was currently dressed as a commoner, it was obvious he was not in his element...

[Ravenbraid]

Ragya eyed the man up and down as he spoke to her. Her overall demeanor was relaxed as she sat at the table but her eyes, golden and glowing in the lamplight, were picking him apart piece by piece. Commoner's clothing, but there was an unmistakably discomfort  in the way he wore them. People dressed like him didn't normally hire bodyguards of her calibur either. The lack of confidence was obvious. The bag was curious. The note she read over with interest, then leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. 

She then extended her hand over the table to shake. She hoped a familiar gesture would calm his nerves and make her seem more "hire-able." With only her eyes showing she couldn't exactly flash a friendly smile to put him at ease. Besides, smiling was more Etain's thing. Ragya was nowhere near as charming as her "sister" but at least she didn't carry herself with an overtly hostile aura like Vepkhia. Ragya liked to think of herself as an agreeable middle ground between them. Plainly dressed, straightforward, and private, but as far as anyone could tell, without secondary motives.                   

[Codex]

Luckily for Zakram, the woman didn't seem to mind his obvious blundering around the tavern. Even he knew he looked like he had no idea what he was doing when he took a seat and tried to look inconspicuous. However as Zakram awaited a response from the woman he instantly got a chilled sense just looking at her. He couldn't quite place the source of his discomfort, but something about the woman made him nervous. Those piercing yellow eyes that studied his every move as he tried to get his bearings was enough to make the noble swallow a nervous lump in his throat. Finally she spoke, her voice soft but deadly. She introduced herself as Ragya, and Zakram felt a little more at ease, being able to give a name to this mysterious individual.

"Ah.. P-Pleasure." Zakram responded, quickly extending his hand to meet hers for a quick shake. "Terribly sorry about the delay.. I haven't been to this part of town before." He told her in a more hushed tone, though his actions would have likely already given Ragya that information. "My name is Zakram, and I'm looking for both an escort and a guide into dangerous, uncharted sands within the Moraki." He said truthfully. The desert was vast and dangerous, many parts of it still unknown. Zakram knew that if his dream was to become a reality, he needed to cultivate it somewhere far from the influence of the merchant princes... Like his father. "I take it you make frequent trips?" He asked, trying not to sound presumptuous, but judging by the nature of this meeting, he could only assume.

[Ravenbraid]

" It's fine," she replied with a dismissive wave of the hand, " The streets in this part of the capital tend to look alike. It is easy to get lost, especially after dark." The neighborhood Ragya had chosen was not especially known for being dangerous but it was still possible to draw unwanted attention if one strutted through the streets like a peacock. She was glad Zakram had enough sense to dress sensibly for these streets. Zakram... his was not a name she recognised. Whatever his connection to Kellok she would figure out soon enough.

" I have experience traveling through the desert, yes. Most of my work takes me to the south and southeast regions of Essyrn, but I have also traveled north a handful of times. Where exactly do you plan on going?" She had to wonder what kind of business this man had in uncharted sands. Perhaps they were going into the desert to try and chart new trade routes. There was little else she could imagine anyone wanting out in the Moraki.

[Codex]

The longer the two spoke the more and more relaxed Zakram began to feel. At least from his current perspective, this Ragya seemed to be pretty understanding and not at all how he was expecting... But then again Zakram wasn't exactly sure WHAT he had been expecting anyways. There was still so little about his potential hire that he knew and he hadn't thrown caution to the wind just yet, he'd need to watch his step. He just hoped that if Ragya was clever enough to know the truth behind his actions she wouldn't take it personally.

"Oh! Oh good.." Zakram responded with a nervous smile when she told him that she was familiar with the desert. Of course this entire meeting would've been a colossal waste of time for the both of them had she not been so Zakram wasn't entirely sure why he sounded so relieved. Perhaps it was just a byproduct of the stress he felt from keeping his plans a secret from his father. He knew Kellok better than anyone, and if he found out about Zakram's intentions he would not hesitate to crush them before he could have any chance to act on his plans. This was mostly the reason why he had chosen such a location. His father had eyes and ears everywhere within the more wealthy parts of town.

When Ragya asked him about the specifics of his plan, he thought for a moment. It was true that Zakram needed a guide, but that didn't mean he hadn't done any research of his own yet. While he had never been there in person, Zakram had still studied the more well known parts of the desert near the boarders to unknown territory. He had heard legends of a place deep within the sands that was said to be a massive and beautiful oasis, yet the path to such a place was perilous to say the least, which was why no concrete proof of its existence had surfaced yet. He had hoped with Ragya's help he could put these rumors to rest and prove it was real.

"Uh.. Tell me, have you heard of.." He started, stopping briefly to look around before leaning in closer and speaking in a more hushed tone. "Blackdune's Rest?" he asked, his eyes being dead serious. Despite the sinister name, the place was said to be a paradise hidden in the sands. From all the information he could find about its existence from old questionable texts and maps, it would make the perfect spot for Zakram's future construction project. He just hoped that Ragya would not laugh him off if it turns out she did not believe such a place existed. After all, only old legends and sketchy unconfirmed stories spoke about this fabled haven.

[Ravenbraid]

The djinn hunter narrowed her eyes ever so slightly as she watched Zakram lean close and whisper the name, "Blackdune's Rest." She did not know what he would want with such a place, but she better understood that he had a need for discretion. The son of a Merchant Prince could hire guards and guides quite easily if they wished so long as they did not mind the speculation and rumor it caused. Some even relished the attention, but if Zakram wished for the opposite she could deduce a few possible reasons why: what he wanted was going to be profitable, illegal, heretical, or some combination of the three. Whether the young man's fortune grew or he was left with naught but the dust in his shoes at the end of it all was for fate to decide, and Ragya was willing to look the other way if what Zakram wanted in Blackdune's Rest did not agree with the law as written. As for heresy, she was a servant of Hakeshna but her concerns lay with djinn. So long as he did not start making deals with djinn, she could abide whatever his plans were.

After a quiet moment of thought, she nods. " I have heard of this place."

Not too long ago, she had been looking into Akher, an ancient city across the Moraki whose success had depended on blasphemous man-made oases till the day they dried up and the city swallowed by the sands of time. Blackdune's Rest had come up during her research with scholars speculating wether the fabled oasis had also been man-made, possibly in connection to the Akheri, but she had found the discourse inconclusive. Of course there were always the word-of-mouth rumors one would hear on the road or in taverns but it was impossible to tell where truth began and embellishment ended. She assumed that Merchant Princes and their families had the means to acquire their own research materials or hire a scholar to do the research for them. Something about the look in his eyes told her that he knew something.

" I can do my best to protect you and guide you through the desert," the gold of her eyes glinted as she lookup at him, much like a cat's when they caught candlelight in the dark. " But I cannot guarantee I know how to find what you seek."

[Codex]

Ragya's brief silence as she thought about what Zakram had just asked was certainly enough to make the already nervous noble feel a small amount of dread, though thankfully it didn't last long. Zakram smiled a bit when she both confirmed that she had heard of Blackdune, and didn't immediately dismiss him in the process. Though Ragya did mention that she could not guarantee that Zakram would find what he was looking for. These terms were agreeable with the noble, after all he wasn't expecting Ragya to know where Blackdune was, if it even existed in the first place. "That much is fine, the place is said to be an ancient legend so I would be surprised if you knew its location." He responded. What he needed from Ragya was a capable bodyguard and a knowledgeable guide through the sands, he would take care of deciphering the clues and riddles that would hopefully lead to the oasis' discovery.

"If you have heard of Blackdune than you likely know the place has been lost to time, however I have something that most explorers don't." He mentioned before grabbing his bag from behind his seat and carefully pulling something out. It was a rather small but very old looking leather book. The edges were frayed and worn, and the paper inside seemed to be the same. Carved into the book's leather cover was a single odd symbol that looked like an upside down triangle within a large circle. While Zakram avoided using his father's wealth and resources to get what he wanted, he deduced it was worth it to acquire this book. Zakram continued to speak quietly as he showed Ragya the contents. "This ancient book had been sitting deep within the ancient tomb of the merchant prince who was said to have first discovered and ruled the region of Blackdune." He said, sliding the old object across the table so that the Hunter could inspect it herself. "Just like the old oasis, the tomb was thought to be nothing more than an old legend too until it was recently discovered by miners." Zakram continued. "Inside seems to be a detailed diary of the old merchant prince himself! Or at least it was at one point, I'm afraid time hasn't been too kind to it." The noble elaborated. Sure enough the inside was chocked full of old writing in an ancient Essyrini dialect that very few alive today knew how to read. "I've deciphered as much as I could, and it definitely confirms that Blackdune is real! At least if you believe what is written in here." He continued. "Though my ancient Essyrini is still a bit shoddy, there are many parts I haven't figured out yet." He told her truthfully. "Though I'm confident with this book the two of us can finally rediscover this oasis." Zakram said with a hint of excitement in his voice.

Finding this old book had been a stroke of luck for the young noble. For the longest time he had been searching for signs and clues concerning mythical locations in the desert far from public knowledge. If he was to be successful in creating a safe haven away from the cruel society of Essyrn and its rulers like his own father than Blackdune seemed like a strong candidate, and now he had a lead to where it was. Ironic that the slaves from Kellok's own mines found the old tomb of Blackdune's ruler, because now it was going to help the noble achieve his ultimate goal of freeing both himself and hopefully hundreds more from the evil influence of the merchant princes. Though Zakram did find it rather odd that the merchant prince that ruled Blackdune would be buried in a tomb far from its location. Still, Zakram was determined now and he just hoped Ragya would take him seriously. "With my knowledge and your expertise, we can uncover this lost paradise."

[Ravenbraid]

There was a clear glimmer of interest in Ragya's eyes as she looked upon the aged tome. Until now, she had only known Blackdune as an artifact of oral traditions, a fable passed down from generation to generation by word of mouth. The story's details varied from teller to teller, but they all told of a flourishing oasis named Blackdune's rest that eventually came to ruin and was lost to the sands. She had heard many folk tales reference Blackdune's rest before it's decline as the setting for the stories of clever heroes and cursed kings, but usually because it existed "long ago" and was "far away." If Blackdune's rest had been a real place, many scholars had argued there would be some trace of it such as ruins, artifacts, or mundane mentions of the place in the annals of written history.

However, if this book was legitimate and not some forgery with coffee stained pages, it could give credence to Blackdune's existence as a real lost settlement somewhere in the desert. Books purposely aged with alchemy and rough handling were not uncommon for merchants to sell, older looking books could be sold for more since they were "antique" or could be passed off as "rare editions." Ragya had seen old books in the libraries of her order that had aged with time, and Zakram's tome reminded her more of those than any forgery she had passed on the street. Finding the diary of the very Merchant Prince who founded Blackdune sounded almost too good to be true, but something stirred in her at the sight of the symbol embossed upon the book's cover. A feeling, or perhaps a remembrance that was not her own.

Such things she would set aside for later, at the moment she was still conducting business. The djinn hunter was careful to use only her fingertips when opening the book, a rough would likely damage the pages further if she wasn't careful. The ink used to write was still legible, and the letters were written in Ancient Essyrni script, but the actual words and their meanings were lost to her. Some of the Hand had dedicated themselves to study and scholarship but as a hunter Ragya was not among them. Gently turning another page, she took a moment to feel the paper between her middle finger and thumb. Whatever material this paper had been made from, it was certainly not papyrus.

The flowering wetland reed was the most common plant used to make paper in Essyrn. It grew abundantly in the river delta to the north west and all along the great river that flowed down intot he southernmost part of the continent. A journal filled with paper that was not made from papyrus implied that wherever the journal was made did not have access to papyrus plants, the paper was made from other plant materials, or that the paper was possibly imported from elsewhere, all things that made sense for a journal that could have come from an oasis that was also a trade hub. It certainly gave credence to the journal's authenticity, but there remaind other questions in her mind. Why would a Merchant Prince be buried so far from the flourishing settlement he worked so hard to create? Did he wish to be buried closer to the place he came from, or was he running away from a ruined oasis?