[next: TailingTheBraid]
09/11/2002 - dated gamed
(372yp)
This is the opening session of our game. We are about to find out about our city and life and world.
We entered the city on an uncommonly wet and rainy day. We are escorted from the school and met by guards.We paid our toll and entered the grand Capitol city of Lielm. Very narrow and crowded streets.
The spires and temple tops are quite wet but it is easy to imagine how they would sparkle on a sunny day. The city is so crowded that anonymity is easy to achieve.
We arrive at the SruharoEstate. The guard looks at us in a most askance manner but lets us in. The estate is built up in levels and has courtyards and fountains. It is quieter here than the street as the walls shut out most of the sounds.
We are met at the stable by a short stocky barrel-chested man. The stables are very well looked after. We unsaddle our own horses and show we can take proper care of our mounts.
We then head off to meet the chamberlain. We enter the house through the back of the stables. As we enter, the smell of spices fill our senses. The Kitchen must be nearby. We are led on quite a tour through the mansion and finally are put into a room. A slave brings us spiced wine as we wait as well as fruits and dates and nuts.
Finaly we are greeted by a man named Mas'am, the Alm's Chamberlain.
Ka'ran shows us to our rooms and then we make the full introductions. In the main banquet hall we ate of lamb and dates with fresh breads. Eveyone of the household was there and we met all and sundry.
On the morning of the third day, Ka'ran assembles us and shows us to a room with a short, balding, white haired man. The man is the Sommalier. He gives us a taste of a wine from Alm Emajal. It is one of his personal vintages. This grape was picked 5 years ago. It should be the ripest 10 years from now. He says, "Wine always leads to dangerous opportunities." The wit fails with the abundance of wines.
L'talas, the sommalier, said, " One of the Alm families,Ciriah, has its two eldest sons here in the city. The eldest son, Sicaj'ail'Taram Ciriah is the Alm's representative here inthe city. The youngest son, Mahamaz'ail'Taram Ciriah, is training to become the diplomat. They are a Mi'lar family.
A servant of the youngest son goes out on a regular basis. He always goes armed and it seems on his master's bidding. We need to find out why he goes out and where he goes and for whom. This is our task. The individual supplying the information is not at liberty to follow up. That is our job. Now, the second task is that there is a vintage of the year 363, coming from the vintner Haram Turah. Private vintner to the Pract'la estates. We know that some of the vintage has been smuggled into the city against Pract'la wishes. This wine has but 200 bottles in it. A good tenth has been stolen. L'talas wants it and doesn't want anyone to know that we have it or where we got it.
After questioning L'talas says that a bottle was seen in the White market. Only three people could have it, two are wine merchants and one is a rug merchant. Mi'shalia is a shrewd woman and has done service for L'talas in the past. Haij, the stout, he probably drinks more than he sells, and Kali the rug merchant, they may have it. If we need special equipment we must see the head of the household.
Kar'an, who looks 80, escorts us out of L'talas's presence.
We retire to Sjer's room to plan.
1. We need to ask L'talas the name and possibly the description of the servant we are to track.
2. We need to find the location of the Alms household.
Afalar finds out that Alm Ciriah lives not far from Alm Sru'haro, just to the north in fact. This alm only acquired the place within the last ten years. The oldest son has a fairly large entourage, the name of the contact person is Ta'teer. The younger has two main servants.
A scribe named Iram , and another which is a bodybuard type named Hara'eem. He had a slave tatoo that is tatooed over again indicating he has been freed. Hara'eem is about Afalar's height and a little thinner. He has long hair which he wears in a braid. He dresses in dark colours and has blue eyes. He is not Mi'lar, he comes from elsewhere.
Zali'haro met Izek, a guard in the Sru'haro household, he says things aren't as easy going now as before the new Alm took over. There is danger and he has been injured in the course of duty but he was taken care of. He says that, "The chief of security is pretty exacting and has stepped things up even more over the last three years." He warns that there are tough places. 14 and 15 on the map are rough places. In 14 there was a woman who floated across the street one time.
Sjer heads to the white market where all the stalls are protected. The multiple buildings all seem to run together into this huge market. There are countless things for sale. There all all different sizes of stalls.
I have worked my way up from the worst wine stalls to the best. I took three hours to find out that Haij, the stout, is my most probable suspect.I have come to Mishalia, she was finishing up with someone and sold a glittering bottle which was sold out in front of me. Then I ask her about Pract'la wines.
The Trulah wines are the best from the Practla estates. She has some, but Turah has been given a special commission.
I purchased a wine from the Emajal estate, from the last wine created by the previous Emajal's wine steward. Hopefully Mishalia will remember me.
We then meet again on the balconey. We agree to preview the stakeout.
Afalar sees, as he walks through, that this estate is at the end of a T intersection. To the south there is another estate that butts up against it. To the north is an open road to the water. There is a dock to the south past the next estate. Zali'haro finds that there is a well-guarded gatehouse. He also found a potential secret entrance in the front. Sjer found in the waterfront that there is one entranceway with stairs going up and another spot where is seems that work has recently been done on the building face.
We spend the night trying to determine whether the bodyguard type individual, Hara'eem will go by water or by land.
The bodyguard causes the horses to get skittish. A young groom for Alm Ciriah has supplied this information.
A kid named Pumar showed me around the new market. He said that the man with the braid does come here and talks to one of the date vendors and the weapon collecor. Both vendors are known affiliates of the Water Blades. They control the market.
We reconvene and share the information we have collected. We decide to suss out the water, but concentrate on the land routes for our target. The evening of the 8th is almost over when our mark goes by Zari'haro and gives him two green drops.
Sjer Mi'han notices that Zari'haro has left his postition and gets Afalar's attention and the chase is on. We are all following in our own style, Afalar is following silently and diligently, Sjer is chasing ahead by boat hoping to run into the mark by luck, and Zari is following from the front. Just as we reached the bridge Zari turned around and was spotted by the braided warrior who makes horses nervous. Zari'haro attempted to piss nonchalantly, but the gig was up. We are all part of a frozen tableau.
[next: TailingTheBraid]