Selaina Davinshore was never a woman to presume much about anything. She was an avid learner, a dedicated scholar and someone who went by the books and sometimes, just a little, outside of them. She had always assumed there was some puzzle out there to solve, some mystery to crack; so when a short burst of fame had befallen her for the creation of the new ability to enchant an item that would keep thoughts and documentations within it, why, the entire Serenian Provence of Darken Vei was in an uproar of glee. It was definitely something to bolster it's ego amongst the other Provences, and even Lord Acaulian had been there that day when Selaina had given the opening speech. But now the flames of that fame had since died down to a simmer, and she could live her life a bit more quietly.
Though with fame, there always comes a price. And although it has been months since she had been showered with swarms of people in the streets or even in the college (where people would hunt her down to smother her with praise), there were still those curious about this device, this enchantment, who lurked in the shadows. These dark forces, these dark people, were intriquged and wanted to learn and steal this sort of power for their own. Even forces that seemed to live another world away...
A merchant prince by the name of Drissent, had gotten wind of such a device as the 'talking rocks' Selaina had been famous for, and had sent a group of his men to acquire him these enchanted items at any costs. He had men hired almost all across the globe, and it was his henchmen in Adela that had been called for first. Dragon's made riding that much quicker, and if they could get in, get the items and get to Essyrni faster, all the better. And the gold would be tripled on the reward if he could have it within the month.
Little did Elaina know she had a price on her head. The value Drissent had put out there for the retrieval of both the woman and her rocks was astronomical, so she was hardly aware she was in any danger as she stayed up late that evening, reading the ancient text books by candle light. She had her nose buried in her book, her mind completely focused, so she hadn't heard the men approaching.
Out of the darkness crept a hand that moved swiftly over her mouth, and as she tried to scream, the hand muffled it, and she found herself soon struggling, biting into the hand and was dropped, only to be captured by another man that had been hiding against the books shelves of the college lirbary. Despite beating on his chest and demanding, "Let me go!" the man simply gave a sinister laugh and demanded, "Where are the rocks?"
"The rocks? You mean the enchanted ones?" Selaina asked, appalled as her face twisted in confusion, and it was only when the man drew out a gnarled, dragon carved dagger that she realized she was in danger.
But she was stubborn still, and refused to talk.
"You'll never learn the secret! Never!" She said with a stomp of her foot.
But the men hardly had time to fight with her, and placed the blade to her throat. "Then we will take you and the rocks with us. And our master will just have to deal with you, stubborn lady." Her heart was in her throat, her eyes as big as saucers as she stared dwn at the blade, then back up at the men. Both of their faces were covered, one's head was wrapped in a mask with dark hollowed pits where his eyes peered out, glistening and sharp, while the other had only a few wraps of clothe going across his nose and mouth, muffling little his speech.
And just as she tried to open her mouth to be foolish, to be brave, to protest what these men were doing...she was smacked across the top of her head, and fell into an unconscious heap in the man's arm.
"Come." The masked man gestured, and his partner threw Seliana over his shoulder and the two disappeared out into the streets. They made quick for their dragons and took to the air, carrying off Selaina Davinshore and her magical rocks and began to head for Essyrni... but more notably, a small outpost in the Moraki Desert.
But Selaina Davinshore wasn't the only one having a bad day....
Rain was in soured spirits. The day was hot, but every day in the desert was bloody hot. It made him doubly irritable, especially to know his 'crew' was anything but what he had expected, and he was no where near where he wanted to be as far as figuring out the damn curse that kept him and his crew locked onto it. From what he was 'told', he had to fill up his ship full of 'gold'-
And what did he have to show for the few months he had been sailing aimlessly about the sands? Why, Barely a few gold filled sacks stolen from idle travelers in the desert (one of which had been from an old man that died of a heart attack at the very sight of such a ship) and his wife was in tears. She had tossed the pitiful amount of money at them when Rain shouted down to her what sort of coin she had, then she ran off, making gestures with her arms to ward off the evil spirits. This of course, left Rain to grumble and groan as he had to try to reach the sack of coins all the way down in the sands while he and the rest had to remain on board. Their crude pulley system was obnoxious at best. They needed to get more equipment, but gold came first.
It always did.
From the loot they had recently acquired, they only had a few crummy pennies. What a waste of his time. So as he opened the second sack of coin to recount the total 'loot', he gave a bored sigh and began with the first gold coin.
"One gold piece... two gold piece..." he went on, getting to the number fifteen, laying each gold piece flat upon the table when something caught his eye on the horizon- Something, or rather, someone, was approaching his ship.
"Hey, you!" Rain called out, rushing to the edge of the ship and thrusting his head over the side. "Hey! What are you doing!? Are you mad? You're in the middle of the desert. HEY! I'm talking to you- hey.." and then when he realized the man was close enough to actually TOUCH his ship, he paled, becoming completely terrified at the prospect of obtaining anymore to his CREW than he wanted (Roberto and the necromancer dude and his zombie.. things..) were bad enough, but NOW there was another man just waltzing right up to the hull and-
"STOP!" Rain's voice cracked out of his mouth like a whip. His fingers dug into the lip of the ship. "Don't touch the –" but it seemed far too late, as the 'captain' of 'Conrad's Coin' (A name that seemed a good idea at the time and he will vehemently defend it's name, despite even HE knows it's lame) watched in horror the next series of events unfolded before his eyes.
