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<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 1980739" data-attributes="member: 3285">The Seeds of Our Destruction - Part 3b: Re-acquaintance With a New FriendThe squalor of the Myrantian portion of Savona was well hidden from casual visitors and tourists. The pavement was uneven and broken in places.&nbsp; The walls of the building were layered in soot and dirt.&nbsp; Even the bridges connecting the very small island were cracked.&nbsp; The fragrance of Savona's holy incense could not dispel the stink of human misery.Sergeant Aquillus led them onward.&nbsp; &quot;Be careful,&quot; he said.&nbsp; &quot;This is not a safe place to be after hours.&quot;Heads from the shadows peeked out from garbage strewn alleyways, but practiced eyes noted their bearing.&nbsp; Thugs turned away to hunt weaker prey.Aquillus pointed to a sign swaying languidly above a splintering wooden door.&nbsp;&nbsp; &quot;That is the ancient tongue of the Myrantians,&quot; he said.&nbsp; It read, “um'Shakti.&quot;&quot;Um'Shakti means 'cracked or broken god',&quot; said Ilmarė.&nbsp; Aquillus nodded.&nbsp; &quot;The um'Shakti was one of the heretical gods they worshipped before their deliverance from barbarism.&nbsp; Yet, the old ways are sometimes hard to dispel, even after centuries.&quot;Ilmarė sneered at Aquillus back.&nbsp; &quot;The new ways are not as entrenched as you may believe.&quot;Aquillus did not reply.&nbsp; Here merely pulled his cloak closer around him against the chilly evening and stood back from the door.&nbsp; &quot;Not joining us?&quot; asked Vlad.The sergeant shook his head. &quot;These vermin can smell a guardsman, even when in disguise.&quot;&quot;In that case, maybe you should stay out here too,&quot; said Kham to Quintus.&quot;Bah! I can blend in with the best of them!&quot; said Quintus, a little too loudly.Kham bit his lip.&nbsp; &quot;Okay, fine.&nbsp; Just…don't say anything.&quot;The Taverna, unlike the many they were accustomed to in the Coryan Empire, had no outside tables.&nbsp; Given the bleak surroundings, it was probably for the best.Inside, patrons sat upon cushions at tables that lay close to the ground.&nbsp; A smoky pall hung over the entire room, complementing the sullen nature of the Taverna's inhabitants.&nbsp; The scent of rank sweat mixed with that of cinnamon in a nauseating combination. A traditional bar extended across the west side of the room.&nbsp; A heavyset man, his face glistening from a layer of oily perspiration, nodded as they entered.&nbsp; At the far end of the bar, three young Myrantian women stood next to a small vertical shrine of Larissa.&quot;Here for the one of the girls then?&quot; the bartender asked.&nbsp; &quot;If you want one of them to bestow Larissa's Holy Communion, it'll cost you.&quot;Kham stepped forward before anyone else could open their mouth.&nbsp; &quot;We're looking for a Myrantian boy,&quot; said Kham, sidling up to the bar.&nbsp; &quot;He has a teardrop tattooed under one eye.&quot;The bartender pulled up a mug.&nbsp; &quot;Going to have something to drink?&quot;Kham nodded.&nbsp; &quot;Sure.&nbsp; We'll all have a mug of a'Talkin.&quot;The bartender smiled a gap-toothed smile and served up the hot, bitter mead. After everyone had their drink, the bartender leaned forward.&quot;That kid was always pestering one of the priestesses.&nbsp; Ask Maatkare,&quot; he pointed at one of the girls with a jab of his thumb.&nbsp; &quot;But I warn you, any time spent with the girls will cost you.&quot;Sebastian wiped his mouth and stepped forward.&nbsp; &quot;How much?&quot;&quot;25 imperials.&quot;Sebastian nodded.&nbsp; &quot;Fine,&quot; he plunked down 25 coins into his empty mug.&nbsp; Maatkare was a very pretty girl, not more than 17 summers old.&nbsp; She was clad in a diaphanous short robe that left little to the imagination.&nbsp; Maatkare exchanged a sad little smile with Sebastian as he walked over to her.&quot;I would like to speak with you for a moment,&quot; Sebastian said, returning her smile. &quot;I'm looking for a boy with a teardrop tattoo.&quot;Her eyes lit up. &quot;Has anything happened to him?&quot;&quot;We don't know.&nbsp; He has disappeared and we want to ask him questions about missing cargo and…a death.&quot;&quot;A death?&nbsp; I haven't seen Senmet all day.&quot;&quot;Is that his name, Senmet?&quot; Sebastian asked.&nbsp; &quot;He may be in trouble.&nbsp; If you can tell me where I can find him—&quot;&quot;I don't think so,&quot; she said quickly.&nbsp; &quot;Now if you have business upstairs that's fine, but I'm done talking.&quot;Just then, a woman swathed in an expensive robe and hooded cloak entered the taverna.&nbsp; The scent of expensive perfume wafted around her.The woman pulled back her hood. Sebastian recognized her.&quot;Hetshapet?&quot; he said in surprise.&quot;Maatkare?&quot; asked Hetshapet, striding over to them.Sebastian looked between them.&nbsp; &quot;I take it you two know each other?&quot;Hetshapet hugged Maatkare tightly to her.&nbsp; &quot;Sister!&nbsp; I have enough to buy you from the Myrantians!&quot;Maatkare wept as she clung to her older sister.&quot;T-they haven't been by the taverna this evening,&quot; she said.&quot;Hey!&quot; the bartender said, leaning forward.&nbsp; &quot;I don't know what this sudden interest with Maatkare is all about, but nobody is taking her without Menu's authorization. Not you,&quot; he pointed at Kham, &quot;and not you either.&quot; He pointed at Hetshapet.Quintus took a deep breath.&nbsp; &quot;Then maybe it's time we had a little chat with this Menu.&quot;Kham glanced sideways at him.&nbsp; &quot;I thought you were going to not talk today.&quot;Maatkare wiped her eyes.&nbsp; &quot;I-I don't know if I can trust you,&quot; she said.Sebastian put one hand on Hetshapet's shoulder.&nbsp; &quot;These are my friends,&quot; he said softly. &quot;If anyone can make this right, they can.&nbsp; But we can't do it without you.&nbsp; Maatkare must let us know what happened to Senmet.&quot;After a whispered exchange between Maatkare and Hetshapet, the younger sister turned to Sebastian.&nbsp; &quot;I will tell you all that I know.&quot;</blockquote>

[QUOTE="talien, post: 1980739, member: 3285"] [b]The Seeds of Our Destruction - Part 3b: Re-acquaintance With a New Friend[/b] The squalor of the Myrantian portion of Savona was well hidden from casual visitors and tourists. The pavement was uneven and broken in places. The walls of the building were layered in soot and dirt. Even the bridges connecting the very small island were cracked. The fragrance of Savona's holy incense could not dispel the stink of human misery. Sergeant Aquillus led them onward. "Be careful," he said. "This is not a safe place to be after hours." Heads from the shadows peeked out from garbage strewn alleyways, but practiced eyes noted their bearing. Thugs turned away to hunt weaker prey. Aquillus pointed to a sign swaying languidly above a splintering wooden door. "That is the ancient tongue of the Myrantians," he said. It read, “um'Shakti." "Um'Shakti means 'cracked or broken god'," said Ilmarė. Aquillus nodded. "The um'Shakti was one of the heretical gods they worshipped before their deliverance from barbarism. Yet, the old ways are sometimes hard to dispel, even after centuries." Ilmarė sneered at Aquillus back. "The new ways are not as entrenched as you may believe." Aquillus did not reply. Here merely pulled his cloak closer around him against the chilly evening and stood back from the door. "Not joining us?" asked Vlad. The sergeant shook his head. "These vermin can smell a guardsman, even when in disguise." "In that case, maybe you should stay out here too," said Kham to Quintus. "Bah! I can blend in with the best of them!" said Quintus, a little too loudly. Kham bit his lip. "Okay, fine. Just…don't say anything." The Taverna, unlike the many they were accustomed to in the Coryan Empire, had no outside tables. Given the bleak surroundings, it was probably for the best. Inside, patrons sat upon cushions at tables that lay close to the ground. A smoky pall hung over the entire room, complementing the sullen nature of the Taverna's inhabitants. The scent of rank sweat mixed with that of cinnamon in a nauseating combination. A traditional bar extended across the west side of the room. A heavyset man, his face glistening from a layer of oily perspiration, nodded as they entered. At the far end of the bar, three young Myrantian women stood next to a small vertical shrine of Larissa. "Here for the one of the girls then?" the bartender asked. "If you want one of them to bestow Larissa's Holy Communion, it'll cost you." Kham stepped forward before anyone else could open their mouth. "We're looking for a Myrantian boy," said Kham, sidling up to the bar. "He has a teardrop tattooed under one eye." The bartender pulled up a mug. "Going to have something to drink?" Kham nodded. "Sure. We'll all have a mug of a'Talkin." The bartender smiled a gap-toothed smile and served up the hot, bitter mead. After everyone had their drink, the bartender leaned forward. "That kid was always pestering one of the priestesses. Ask Maatkare," he pointed at one of the girls with a jab of his thumb. "But I warn you, any time spent with the girls will cost you." Sebastian wiped his mouth and stepped forward. "How much?" "25 imperials." Sebastian nodded. "Fine," he plunked down 25 coins into his empty mug. Maatkare was a very pretty girl, not more than 17 summers old. She was clad in a diaphanous short robe that left little to the imagination. Maatkare exchanged a sad little smile with Sebastian as he walked over to her. "I would like to speak with you for a moment," Sebastian said, returning her smile. "I'm looking for a boy with a teardrop tattoo." Her eyes lit up. "Has anything happened to him?" "We don't know. He has disappeared and we want to ask him questions about missing cargo and…a death." "A death? I haven't seen Senmet all day." "Is that his name, Senmet?" Sebastian asked. "He may be in trouble. If you can tell me where I can find him—" "I don't think so," she said quickly. "Now if you have business upstairs that's fine, but I'm done talking." Just then, a woman swathed in an expensive robe and hooded cloak entered the taverna. The scent of expensive perfume wafted around her. The woman pulled back her hood. Sebastian recognized her. "Hetshapet?" he said in surprise. "Maatkare?" asked Hetshapet, striding over to them. Sebastian looked between them. "I take it you two know each other?" Hetshapet hugged Maatkare tightly to her. "Sister! I have enough to buy you from the Myrantians!" Maatkare wept as she clung to her older sister. "T-they haven't been by the taverna this evening," she said. "Hey!" the bartender said, leaning forward. "I don't know what this sudden interest with Maatkare is all about, but nobody is taking her without Menu's authorization. Not you," he pointed at Kham, "and not you either." He pointed at Hetshapet. Quintus took a deep breath. "Then maybe it's time we had a little chat with this Menu." Kham glanced sideways at him. "I thought you were going to not talk today." Maatkare wiped her eyes. "I-I don't know if I can trust you," she said. Sebastian put one hand on Hetshapet's shoulder. "These are my friends," he said softly. "If anyone can make this right, they can. But we can't do it without you. Maatkare must let us know what happened to Senmet." After a whispered exchange between Maatkare and Hetshapet, the younger sister turned to Sebastian. "I will tell you all that I know." [/QUOTE]

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