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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Olgar Shiverstone" data-source="post: 3819370" data-attributes="member: 5868">Sasserine is an odd city.  Backed against the Amedio Jungle, it is a long, long way from the better known and more civilized parts of the Flaness.  As the only port in the region, though, it serves as a center for both trade and civilization.  Beings of many cultures met and mingled in Sasserine to exchange goods and services.  Pirates secretly serving the Scarlet Brotherhood might enter the port to do more or less honest buiness, while adventurers gathered strange animal, plants and artifacts from the jungles to the south for sale in the back alleys of Sasserine's grey market.  If it can be imagined, went the old phrase, it can be seen or bought in Sasserine.So it was without particular surprise that Thalas found the oddly matched pair awaiting him at the gates of Vanderboren manner the following evening.  He'd arrived fashionably late, just as planned, his father's sword worn rakishly on one hip, and a moderately serviceable shirt and tunic covering his chain shirt beneath.  He'd deliberately mussed his straight black hair, the better to present his planned facade of cautious indifference.  If Lavinia Vanderboren really knew who he was, he would send the message that we hasn't afraid; if she didn't, then his current appearance would be assumed to be his normal character, and so much the better.The two beings waiting outside the gate, however, did not appear to have taken equal care.  One appeared to be a human of indeterminate gender.  Race, even, was hard to determine as the man? woman? thing? stank to Arborea, wore about six layers of never-cured hides, and had painted all exposed skin with green and black pigments.  The other was a male elf of about Thalas' age, who paced nervously back and forth, wearing very fine clothing that was obviously newly purchased for the occasion.  To his surprise, Thalas did recognize the elf.  He shouldn't have been startled; the elven population of Sasserine was fairly small, and even this far from the center of elvendom on Oerth all the elves of a certain age still spent time together learning the traditional elven arts of sword and bow, woodcraft and magecraft."Athal! What are you doing here?" Thalas asked.  He knew Athal vaguely -- they had sparred a few times a few decades back when both were still learning the sword, but had seldom crossed paths since.  Thalas had a vague memory of Athal being from one of the poorer elven families in Sasserine, an issue made much of by his parents but that made little sense at the time to a just-turned-seventy elf boy."I was invited." Athal flourished a parchment similar to that Thalas carried.  "My sword and services are required by the great house of Vanderboren."Thalas sneered but said nothing.  The -- thing -- under the hides watched but remained silent.  Thalas shrugged.  "I guess we go up?"The gates were open, and from the lighted doorway of the manor itself Thalas could see another figure just entering.  He and Athal followed, with the painted stranger training just beyond scent range behind.The entryway of the manor was lavishly appointed with polished and inlaid wood, though the wear on many of the surfaces indicated that times were not as prosperous as they once had been.  Thalas reviewed what he remembered of the Vanderborens.   The were a weathy merchant family with interests in the shipping business, who made their money the new way: they earned it, sometimes honestly, sometimes not.  They had been successful enough to buy influence with the Dawn Council, until recently.  There had been a fire that had destroyed much property and killed the senior Vanderboren and his wife, leaving behind the two adult children, Lavinia and Vanthus.  There were rumors of financial problems, but beyond that Thalas knew little.  Human society changed so rapidly that it was impossible to keep up.The elderly halfling woman who had delivered the message was waiting, along with another: Kyrsith, a young elven woman also of Thalas' age wearing the robes and sigil of the House of the Dragon, one of the academies in town.  Thalas knew her moderately well, as his mother had served as Kyrsith's magical tutor for a time.  They still occasionally crossed paths at some of the bookshops and magical emporiums in town, though they shared little else in common."Kyrsith, what brings you here?" Thalas inquired."I was invited, silly," Kyrsith replied smugly, "You?""The same. This is Athal, and ... ."  The green mute remained mute."Welcome all," the halfling woman intoned.  "If you would be so kind as to wait in the sitting room - " at this she motioned to a room off the foyer.  "I'll inform my mistress that you all have arrived."</blockquote>

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