Ambassador Zografos

Ambassador Zografos

As told by Zografos

Ingara now has a strong legitimate king. Issic has returned to Sigil. Alexander is contemplating remaining in the capital and running the temple of Athena or traveling north and trying to bring the word of Athena to the lands of Ares. Phaidon and India are chasing thieves in the forests east of here. I, Zografos, have been granted the ambassadorship to Alisander that I had wished for.

Alisander is the greatest and most wonderful city I have been in. I think it is possible that one could spend his/her entire life inside the city and not mind and all. The time I have spent there has been quite exhilarating and exciting. There are several thousand beautiful lasses to paint and seduce, which since I am a painter is very good for me. The tunnels under the city are quite extensive and dangerous. There is a little power struggle going on as well between the merchant fleet and the nobility and Lord Nadam. It is quite fun to play those against each other. Ultimately though all of that "playing" around helped out Nadam. Not because I like Nadam, I don't really know him that well as a person to be his friend; it is just that he is the most stable and capable of the three power bases to run and protect the city effectively. Plus, I have done some free lance "public service" for Nadam so I always have a couple of aces up my sleeve if I ever really get in trouble in the town.

I went to meet Duke Antidoros this morning. I was supposed to receive some "training" from him before I returned to Alisander. I didn't quite understand why. My assistant would be the real diplomat and do most of the actual negotiating for trade rights and things such as that. I would just be the figure head. If need be and negotiations got tough I would be called upon to do some "public service" work in the name of Ingara. I am also allowed to free lance for Nadam and even encouraged to do so if it would help in anyway with Alisander's relation to Ingara. It seems like the perfect job for me. I am basically paid to paint all day and to seduce servant women to get the dirt on their lords and others around the city. I don't know of a job I would be better suited for.

One of Allahin Laswir's deputies is going to be my assistant and my body guard. A slim, but tough looking fellow named Priskos. Looking at him he doesn't seem to be very strong, but he is wiry and has an aura about him. It gives you the feeling he could go toe to toe with anyone no matter how strong just based on his ferocity and sheer will to never give up and to pull out all of the stops to win. I like him. He does seem a little barbaric at times, but he has a good head on his shoulders.

Anyway, back to the meeting. I entered the front office of Duke Antidoros, He has an office he works out of so as to keep his personal life and work separate. Although, rumor has it that he has no female companion at the moment. Daetor another of the Duke's deputies was there to greet me. Priskos was also there as well, which I found a little strange. Daetor locked the front door to his office before escorting me into the Duke's office. I had though this was just going to be an etiquette lesson, but it was seeming to be more than that just then.

I entered the office, which was just a straightforward square room with a desk, directly in front of the door, for the duke to sit at and a couple of plain chairs in front of the desk. I was surprised to see to other deputies of the city standing against the walls as I came in. This seemed awfully strange for an etiquette lesson. As soon as I had cleared the door into the Duke's office I was grabbed by Priskos and Daetor. They had both grabbed an arm and put an arm lock on me so that I was held in the air by the two. This made me almost helpless since I couldn't shift my weight or effectively kick out their legs with mine. Priskos had such a tight grip that I could not pull my dagger from its wrist sheath.

Just when I was about to ask what this was about, the familiar sound of the cracking of bone began. The Duke, it turns out, was and is a werewolf. I could tell by the looks on the faces of the other deputies that they were lycanthropes as well. After his transformation, which seemed to take longer than usual, I think to increase the fear I was supposed to be feeling at the time, he came around the desk and stood in front of me. He was drooling saliva on the floor from his mouth. I think it was more for effect than an actual overproduction of spit. I think he was slightly taken aback and irritated that I was not a whimpering fool at the sight of his new form.

"Now I will give you a form that is worthy of an assassin of Ingara," The duke said.

One of the deputies against the wall came over and held my head so that it bared my neck to the duke. This was unacceptable. To be a true lycanthrope would more than likely compromise my duties. So I relied on an old trick that has saved me countless times, I took the form of a shadow. The three men holding me, of course, held little but air now since shadows mostly are insubstantial. The Duke clawed at me, I think more just to try to cut me and thus pass along his curse than to actually cause any damage. Luckily for me, it takes a little more than the claws of a lycanthrope to damage a shadow.

I slipped under/through the door of the room to the front office. Apparently, they had locked the door to the Duke's office as well for it sounded like he was hammering at it with his claws. I could have ran then, but from the sounds in the room it sounded as if the rest of them were changing form as well. There would be no way for me to fight them all at once so I decided to stand my ground and fight right there, using the Duke's doorway so that only one of them could come at me at a time.

I flipped the shadow of the rat pelt on my arm over. Shadows cannot physically affect most things, but they can touch and manipulate other shadows. I began to change as well. My face began to elongate and I was stooped over slightly, but I had acquired a form that was more nimble and suited for fighting that just my human form, the form of a were-rat. I changed from the shadow form of a were-rat to the mortal form of a were-rat. That is when the door smashed in. My switching of forms had given the deputies enough time to change form and help the Duke beat down the door.

I am glad to say they were a little surprised to see a were-rat standing there facing them with a rapier in one hand and a dagger in the other. My odds of surviving were slim even with the advantage of having the ability to have my shadow fight with me and having them only to be able to come at me one at a time. 7 to 1 is never good odds. If I had had a few more moments I could have summoned shadows and created shadowy substitutes of myself that, I believe, would have almost brought the odd to even. As it was, it turns out I didn't need those few moments. After quickly recovering from his shock, The Duke began to laugh/howl (Were-wolf form is not the greatest form for verbal communication.). He changed back to human form as did the other deputies.

"We had no idea you were like us or we would have never bothered to have this meeting." The Duke said. I changed back to human form.

"I am not like you." I replied as I moved the wolf pelt in the small of my back and took the form of a were-wolf myself. This completely stunned the duke and his deputies I am glad to say. I went on to show them the other forms I could take and each one surprised them. I tried to explain to them how being a natural lycanthrope would be detrimental to myself and my job, but they did not understand. Apparently were-wolves do not fraternize and get into as much trouble because of it as I do.

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