Under strange stars

[Someone]

After each one dropping a couple dirhems, the group leaves the table and heads to the port. Now that noon approaches, activity reaches the climax: everyone is ouside, working or just passing. A wandering silversmith, sitting on a makeshift anvil, hammers delicate ornaments in a cup: side by side, a group of women cook while gossiping in loud voice. Watercarriers pass, shouting "Fresh water!", their donkeys enduring the children´s mischief. You too pass under several gates, small doors opened on walls that are ither remnants of older fortifications that got left behind when the city grew or built by the citicens to help defend the neighbourhood.

Finally, after a thousand turns and enless corners, the group arrives at the market zone. At your back the citadel, in front of you the even more crowded streets where countless stands show their product, under the protection against the sun that chaotically arranged awnings laying from building to building. And many others make here their living, too. Noise is so loud, that you almost have to shout to speak with your companions.

"Silk! The best silk from the golden lands!" "Son of a rotten dog! Get him! get the thief! May a scorpion eat your liver, rat!" "My lady! won´t you see this splendid pearls, princess?" "An alms for an ex-leper" "Get out of my way!" "Absolutely! I guarantee this sword to be made with Almascian steel" "Now, explain slowly who did hit the other one first" "Woof!"

But you manage to make to the beach with your purse still full. Dozens of ships anchor a couple hundred meters from the beach, and a fleet of rowboats come and go from and to them. Beyond these, many ships of all sizes lie tied together. Kyot lives in one of them, but the ships change their arrangement almost every day, so finding him would be difficult. The best way it to look for someone who... but there´s no need to do so, because a very tanned man, dressed only with trousers and a dirty turban approaches you.

"Effendi! Looking for a boat? I´m cheap!"

Knowing it´s the best way, the group rents the boat. The boat´s owner knows Kyot, so soon you´re boarding his ship.

It´s relatively small, somewhat less than thirty feet of lenght; the deck is clean of masts and most sailing equipment, but a smoking tin chimney betrays Kyot´s presence.

"Who´s this Kyot man?"

"I don´t know for sure. I believe he was once a tinkerer and al-kehmist at the basileus palace. He promised the basileus to make an automaton able to speak and dance, and when the thing stood completely unable to move before an ambassador, Kyot kissed the dungeon´s floor. fortunately for him, he had good friends and managed to exile here. The Caliph pass him a generous montly pension, maybe just to annoy the basileus".

 

[Zerth]

Amira, Princess with many spells

"Here we are and about time, too," Amira says as she steps onboard the ship with the sage Kyot on it. "Let's go meet the wise man," she states looking at her companions.

 

[rangerjohn]

Al-Khazar yells "Hey old man you in there? I think we have something you might be interested in'" He says with a grin.

 

[Someone]

“Go ahead” Kyot´s voice is firm and clear.

A hatch opens to a small flight of stairs that descend into the ship´s hold. It´s been transformed into a combination of library, study and bedroom.

To your right, lots of books dance into their shelves with the small waves (and you gess that many of them end on the floor in days of bad weather) At your back there´s a small bed, half covered with a bundle of colored cushions, next to it, a rather large closet. Right in front of you, there´s a lit brazier; over it, a bizarre machine of some sort, composed by a number of pipes and panting bellows that extract the smoke from the shadowy room.

Kyot himself sits behind a table, wearing a pair of spectacles over a long nose and a hastily donned blue tunic. He´s almost bald, puffs of white hair sprout from behind his ears. He´s a bit overweight, though, and is maybe because of that he doesn´t have many wrinkles.

“Nice to see you again” says. “And who are the ladies?”

Introductions made, you show him the reason of your visit. He takes the book and takes it to the light, examining it first quickly and then with more attention.

“An obvious falsification, it´s clear... Though it´s a good job at simulating the effects of age and magical mending spells, look how the handwriting and how it´s almost the same from start to finish. Maybe he just took an ancient binding, and used it to...”

Kyot turns the book upside down, then back to the right position, starts reading some pages of it, and ignores you for several minutes.

“The style is however... It´s strange for a book of this kind to have such things... Look for example at this: the ships leaves the port, and stays seven... no... almost two months in the sea, without winds, before returning to Tangrabah. Normally there are things like the following expedition, see... aha, a canyon full of diamonds, yes... they threw pieces of meat, and the eagles took them with the gems sunk in it... funny. Perhaps the author mixed true voyages from real sailors with false ones? ...Hmmm... this thing I believe I´m familiar with it, and sounds genuine... but, still, the writing...”

Kyot adjusts the spectacles, gets back to the book and finally returns to you:

“Where did you get it? Nevermind, I may be interested in the book, and may honestly pay what it´s worth -it it turns to we worth of anything-. But I need a day to make my mind, and decide if I buy it or not. If you would be so amenable to come back tomorrow...”

[OOC: Feel free to insert speech or actions inside the post - for example, to introduce yourself; and you may want to specify what exactly do you tell Kyot about the book. Next post this Monday, about this same hour]

 

[Zerth]

Amira, a Princess without kingdom

"I am Princess Amira of Banzidar. A pleasure to finally meet you, sage. We have come to test your knowledge and wits. We have brought a book, that might interest you," she speaks holding out the book.

"I must say I am very intrigued myself about that book and what you are able to tell us."

When the sage is finished with his initial examination of the book, "We don't know the book's exact origin, it came to our possession almost accidentally. Feel free to spend an extra day to examine it - I think it's only fair considering the circumstances."

 

[Synchronicity]

Ormazd the Inscrutable, Sorcerer and turban connoisseur

Ormazd, as he is wont to do, bows to the sage.

"Ormazd greets you, sage Kyot. It has been many turnings of the sun since Ormazd last conversed with you. Ormazd hopes you will have the time to further study the text in question, so that an agreement can be made to mutual benefit."

 

[Rayex]

Shin'nairo - mistress of the blades

"My name is Shin'nairo" the elven woman introduce herself shortly, but politely.

 

[rangerjohn]

Al-Khazar smiles at the old man's ramblings. "So what is it, one minute you say its junk, the next you suggest some type of code. Your not going senile are you?" "Really, take your time Kyot, I'm sure you'll reason it out."

 

[Someone]

“Ramblings? Absolutely not. It´s only that this diary has, hm... contradictory features. See you tomorrow, then.”

So, the group returns to the city. A day pass with nothing worth mentioning, and soon you´re ready to come back to Kyot´s and finish your business with him.

The weather is much like yesterday, and the ship village perhaps more quiet. Apparently, Kyot´s not at home, but loking through the open hatch you can see a piece of paper, nailed to his table with a curved dagger; and you feel the air heavy, maybe because something has broken the smoke extractor.

[OOC: If you want to do something in the day, post so. And as always, visiting Kyot or the city, state as exactly as you can where you are and what do you do.

I´ve changed the OOC thread´s name to match this one]

 

[Zerth]

Amira - Princess, who put a spell on you

The weather is much like yesterday, and the ship village perhaps more quiet. Apparently, Kyot´s not at home, but loking through the open hatch you can see a piece of paper, nailed to his table with a curved dagger; and you feel the air heavy, maybe because something has broken the smoke extractor.

(OOC: Amira has nothing specific in mind, before returning to Kyot's ship.)

"I don't like the look of this," Amira states as they peer inside the room from the open hatch.

"Stand back, I might be able to do something about that smoke," she tells and begins casting a spell, calling the power of the wind to her aid.

(OOC: Casting Gust of Wind to clear the smoke out from the room.)