Someone
Adventurer
After being healed, the group splits as you leave Qalare´s house, Rana on her way to warn the ambassador and Qalare to reach Nassor´s palace. [I know Milar is going with Qalare, Torvak and Rashid say where are you going]
Ben Nassor group
The wind grows and grows, carrying so much dirt that it´s difficult to see beyond 40 feet, and less at the time you arrive at the palace; nobody disturbs you there. Like all the houses in this city, it´s focused inwards: little can be seen inside from the streets, only a plain wall and solid doors. You knock and Qalare announces himself after a servant opens it.
You briefly wait –and are not the only ones doing that- on some comfortable cushions before a richly dressed chamberlain approaches you “Ben Nassor, prince of merchants await you” says. “Please follow me”
You do so through a courtyard where the sudden gusts of wind make the trees bend and the fountain´s waer splash at random directions. At the other side, the chamberlain open a locked, heavy door; beyond it, a well lit set of stone stairs descend. “Ben Nassor waits you inside” says the chamberlain.
Having been ambushed already once today, you warily descend the stairs. Finally, you arrive at a small chamber; rich carpet and tapestries and silk resting places hide metal plates that dully glown with the lamps´ light.
“Lead.” Says the man sitting in front of you. “For those who don´t want to be spied.”
He´s a very old man; bended down and wrinkled, he looks like if he were about to day of old age. However, he still has a firm voice and looks lucid enough. And rich
“Wecome to my house.” Says “I´m Ben Nassor, and you saved me the effort of finding you.”
“You can´t be” replies Qalare. “Ben Nassor is no more than 30 years old, and you look like his grand-grandfather.”
The old man smiles. “I´ll have to tell you a tale, and I beg you to hear it before deciding if I´m a liar, a lunatic, or both.”
“Two hundred and twenty four years ago Al´Gera was no more than a village by the sea with a good port. There, lived a young man, called Kamal. His only riches were his bravery and intelligence; at the first opportunity, signed in a merchant ship and started to sail the Infinite Sea.”
“Through his boldness, hard work or just plain luck, he became soon rich enough to buy his own ship. And then rich enough to buy a palace; but that wasn´t enough, because Kamal loved the sea and wanted to sail beyond the stars and see what no man had seen before.”
He throws some herbs into a small brazier and inhales the smoke before continuing.
“In one of his travels he arrived at a strange island. A fortress had been built into a mountain. Kamal went to explore the fortress with his companions; it´s endless caverns turned to be full of monsters and deadly traps. However, he, the only survivor, reacher the deepest chamber, a place where a stream of glowing water filled a fountain of unheard beauty. Kamal took some water in his hands and drank it; not only his wounds instantly closed, but his youthness were restored, more alive than ever.”
“The fountain of youth!?” exclaims Qalare.
“Yes. It exists, and it´s not a myth. To shorten the tale, Kamal returned to Al´Gera, where he used disguises to appear older. When too much time passed to maintain the ruse, he moved to another island, and faked to be his own son; had many adventures and suffered many wounds... until now.
One day, he suddenly grew older and older, and knew something happened with the Fountain. And only one day later he saw a man; not the first time, he was at the court decades ago. He was Qalasini, the Caliph´s uncle, as young as he was 50 years ago. Now, I don´t know how, the court wizard and Vizier. I suspected something bad was going to happen, but alas, my time is finally coming. I know your reputation and imagine you´re the only ones that can help the Caliph now: nothing good can come from that man; believe me, he´s not a good person.”
[Rana´s post coming tomorrow]
Ben Nassor group
The wind grows and grows, carrying so much dirt that it´s difficult to see beyond 40 feet, and less at the time you arrive at the palace; nobody disturbs you there. Like all the houses in this city, it´s focused inwards: little can be seen inside from the streets, only a plain wall and solid doors. You knock and Qalare announces himself after a servant opens it.
You briefly wait –and are not the only ones doing that- on some comfortable cushions before a richly dressed chamberlain approaches you “Ben Nassor, prince of merchants await you” says. “Please follow me”
You do so through a courtyard where the sudden gusts of wind make the trees bend and the fountain´s waer splash at random directions. At the other side, the chamberlain open a locked, heavy door; beyond it, a well lit set of stone stairs descend. “Ben Nassor waits you inside” says the chamberlain.
Having been ambushed already once today, you warily descend the stairs. Finally, you arrive at a small chamber; rich carpet and tapestries and silk resting places hide metal plates that dully glown with the lamps´ light.
“Lead.” Says the man sitting in front of you. “For those who don´t want to be spied.”
He´s a very old man; bended down and wrinkled, he looks like if he were about to day of old age. However, he still has a firm voice and looks lucid enough. And rich
“Wecome to my house.” Says “I´m Ben Nassor, and you saved me the effort of finding you.”
“You can´t be” replies Qalare. “Ben Nassor is no more than 30 years old, and you look like his grand-grandfather.”
The old man smiles. “I´ll have to tell you a tale, and I beg you to hear it before deciding if I´m a liar, a lunatic, or both.”
“Two hundred and twenty four years ago Al´Gera was no more than a village by the sea with a good port. There, lived a young man, called Kamal. His only riches were his bravery and intelligence; at the first opportunity, signed in a merchant ship and started to sail the Infinite Sea.”
“Through his boldness, hard work or just plain luck, he became soon rich enough to buy his own ship. And then rich enough to buy a palace; but that wasn´t enough, because Kamal loved the sea and wanted to sail beyond the stars and see what no man had seen before.”
He throws some herbs into a small brazier and inhales the smoke before continuing.
“In one of his travels he arrived at a strange island. A fortress had been built into a mountain. Kamal went to explore the fortress with his companions; it´s endless caverns turned to be full of monsters and deadly traps. However, he, the only survivor, reacher the deepest chamber, a place where a stream of glowing water filled a fountain of unheard beauty. Kamal took some water in his hands and drank it; not only his wounds instantly closed, but his youthness were restored, more alive than ever.”
“The fountain of youth!?” exclaims Qalare.
“Yes. It exists, and it´s not a myth. To shorten the tale, Kamal returned to Al´Gera, where he used disguises to appear older. When too much time passed to maintain the ruse, he moved to another island, and faked to be his own son; had many adventures and suffered many wounds... until now.
One day, he suddenly grew older and older, and knew something happened with the Fountain. And only one day later he saw a man; not the first time, he was at the court decades ago. He was Qalasini, the Caliph´s uncle, as young as he was 50 years ago. Now, I don´t know how, the court wizard and Vizier. I suspected something bad was going to happen, but alas, my time is finally coming. I know your reputation and imagine you´re the only ones that can help the Caliph now: nothing good can come from that man; believe me, he´s not a good person.”
[Rana´s post coming tomorrow]
