Zorlon - Bashkher

[Malchik]

Your party has two quests, to find a gate that could be anything and to replace a sword tip.

 

The first attempts at research in Bashkher's capital Papred have been frustrating. There is something being concealed in the museum but you have so little information you really want first to read all about it in the city archives. Yet access to the archives needs a pass that will take two days to get. You have done some of Papred's 'sights' but in the guesthouse where you are staying you ask what else can be done to fill in this time. You have a bit of the current afternoon and two full days to while away.

 

The guesthose is one of the nicest in the city. The staff are polite and helpful. The girl who greets the new arrivals waggles her head in the typical Bashkheri way.

 

"It seems you have visited most of our famous sites."

 

She opens a map and spreads it before you.

 

"The main attractions are clearly marked and you have been to all except the temples. There are nine of these in Papred that visitors are interested to see. Seven of these can be viewed in an organised tour. It goes every other day from just outside. The next tour is tomorrow. The city temple is five minutes from here across the square so it was not felt necessary to include it in the tour."

 

She hesitates. "If you want to reach the Sea Temple you need first to reach Masayrah. This is the suburb, village really, in the extreme north-east of Papred. It is on the coast. From there you will have to persuade someone to take you by boat. It may not be easy. The temple is in the middle of the mangrove delta. Even the most experienced boat men can get lost in the maze of waterways around there."

 

She thinks for a moment. "Apart from that you can always visit the bazaars. They generally offer street entertainment as well was goods for sale. If you are still here in three day's time the Kharsavarni dancers will be in the central theatre for a week. They are certainly worth seeing."

 

This, it seems is the full extent of your options.

[Kethruch]

Auriel looks at everything in awe. "All of these people live here, and don't fight all of the time?" He asks, his big eyes showing the truth of his wonder. "Everything is so," he pauses for a moment, "so beautiful!" He remembers back on his life with his mother and father - it seems an age ago, but then everything seems an age ago to him. "Can we go see the city temple?" He asks his new friends, the ones he has been entrusted to. "If the sword that is missing a tip isn't in the museum, doesn't that kind of leave only a few choices? I mean, either it's somewhere else in the city, hidden in the museum, it's been repaired, or someone stole it and the one in the museum is a fake."

 

Auriel looks at the lady again. "What are bazaars? Is that where strange people go? Some of the townsfolk where I used to live called me 'bazaar.' Maybe I could meet some others like me there?"

[Malchik]

The girl smiles but says no more. Others are arriving to talk to her and she turns away pushing the map into Top's hand.

[Emry]

Tikita shakes her head and giggles at Auriel. Not unkindly she says, "That biz-arre, silly, not ba-zaar. Bizarre means strange and a bazaar is a marketsquare where people sell things. There are lots of neat things at bizarres - shop to buy things and street entertainers. It should be alot of fun. I think we should go there; we might find something interesting. Or find something out that's interesting."

 

She looks hopefully to the other members of the party.

[Peregrine]

Top acccepts the map, and studies it a moment before responding. "You have a point, if there's information to be found, I'd bet on someone there knowing... for a price at least. And if we hurry we should have time to go look at those other two temples."

[Kethruch]

"Oh, sorry." Auriel says to Tikita. "So, we go to a bazaar, to maybe find things that are bizarre. I think I can follow that. I'll get it, don't worry." He runs off ahead a few steps, then realizes that he doesn't no where he's going. "Top?" He begins. "How do we get to all of the places we're going?"

[Peregrine]

"If I'm reading this thing right," Top says, studying the poorly written labels on the map, "it isn't too far from here. I believe we take this street here...." He begins walking off down the street which looks like it should take them to the bazaar.

[Malchik]

Sadly the map, of the kind often found designed for visitors, shows only the main streets. By the time Top has worked out that he does not know where they are they have by chance ended up at the back of the City Temple almost where they started from. They have seen no bazaar, not even a bizarre bazaar.

 

There is a lot of life going on in the streets. A man tells fortunes, having a trained crow choose cards from a pack. A barber is shaving a customer by the side of the road. Food stalls are myriad. Monkeys, cows, goats, horses and camels seem to be wandering the streets at will. It is in other words a typical Bashkheri city like the many they have seen before - if a little bigger. The crowds are mildly disturbing and the noise incredible. There is a constant stream of people entering and leaving the temple. Boys stand around shouting various wares for sale - embroidered slippers, gimcrack jewellery, flowers for temple offerings. One or two pester all the members of the party offering to be their guides. Top feels one trying to steal his money. He is used to it, and shrugs the would-be thief away.

 

Papred's streets are far from peaceful.

[Greywolf]

Dion just wandered behind the company, his thoughts gloomy. The dissapearance of his sisters meant he was the only one of the family left, and while he despised the narrow ways of his world. He was the only one left of his siblings. His ears had perked up at the mention of the sea temple, and basically anything to do with water. He would prefer to be there now, beneath the cool waves of the water instead of in a dusty city. The Sea temple had seemed a good idea to him, sea temples always did. Then again he didn't visit many sea temples. He just looked around gloomily, fidgeting with the whip at his side. He noticed a guttering torch, fire and water. His existance was a paradox yet balanced, fire affinity and water being, quite ironic really. Life's little ironies, when you get down to it, we're all not what we seem. What with Riff and all.

 

Dion noticed a lovely woman walk by, his eyebrow rising almost ... there was no time though. "We seem my friends to be going around in circles. Should retry a direction according to the suns position, and rely less on the ruined maps of a somewhat unfortunately ruined culture." He mentioned the last bit softly so only the company could here, indicating quite clearly the corruption that had surrounded them and hounded them in their prior cities.

[Kethruch]

As they wander through the streets, Auriel takes in everything with absolute fascination. Though they have been to cities before, he is still amazed by the amount of people and colors as they walk past the brightly colored shops.

 

"There's something sad about all of this." He says, though still amazed at everything he sees. "It's almost as if the life it should have is somehow crushed under the weight of all of these buidings. Everyone's scurrying around trying to do things, but I think they'd be happier if they didn't have to do them." He then continues down the street, just as happy and amazed as before.