Book 3: Chapter 16 - Al-Lazar (RAW)

Why do we regain our essence, our well of energy, our inner Mana, more rapidly when we rest? The time when consciousness fades and we walk upon the land of the dream.

And why is it that it is the most intellectually capable of us that are able to ascend to the greater heights of the arcane mysteries? Is it because of rote practice, technique, or a greater understanding of our element like the wisdom of the ancients prescribe?

Perhaps it is so. Perhaps it is not. Some of my peers posit it is because only a greater intellect can ponder, can visualize, the higher truth of the universe. To understand concepts that go beyond mere space and time and to touch in a limited way the face of the divine.

I have heard some argue, that it is only when we are free from conscious thought, that we can allow our minds to fly unshackled from misguided preconceptions of things that we view as the real. And in doing so, we allow for a greater connection to the world, and to god-gift Mana itself.

Perhaps, it is in the land of the dreams that the answers to the greater mysteries of this universe can be found.

- Notes found in the quarters of Master Bertrand of the University of Quas.

By their blessing, or perhaps they were simply distracted, the gods did not turn their eyes upon. No further attacks by the Great Guardians, nor any other monster or savage desert tribe. The rest of the journey was blessedly uneventful.

Time passed, a slow inexorable advance as one day bled into the next. Not counting the near incessant nagging, the only constants were the pervasive heat of the day and the icy chill of the desert night.

Like Elwin, and now the rest of my companions, I had taken to wearing the flowing clothes of the desert over my armor. This fusion of attire conjured images of the crusaders in Palestine, a blend of medieval European armor with the traditional desert garb. It did little to mitigate the environmental conditions I suffered, but then again with my high Constitution, the boiling heat of the sun and the freezing night were minor discomforts at worst. If anything, I did it for the simple human need to just fit in.

For near two whole moons, we traveled along the Green Road. I had spent all of that time throwing myself at physical tasks like cutting obstinate proto-trees that even the Xaruar had difficulty removing from the path. Once, I even helped hold a wagon while they changed the wheel, Kidu and I both straining together in a weird sort of contest. For our Herculanean effort, I earned a point in Strength, a growing rarity as the number went up.

I had even taken to playing games with the children. Not that I enjoyed their company, but it gave me an excuse to practice the use of my Stealth skill as we played this world’s variant of hide-and-seek. They were even able to persuade me to shed my armor, as no matter how hard I tried it was impossible to garner even a modicum of stealth when clad in a suit of steel.

It was with a little regret that one of the children had gone missing, and we were only able to find his shriveled corpse inside a monstrous large pitcher plant analog. Desi was his name, and he was perhaps not the sharpest tool in the shed, but his passing cast a pall on further games. The funeral was a rushed affair, no doubt due to Laes. At times the man had no respect for common human decency. On the plus side, I was able to raise my Stealth skill to level two. Though by no means a ghost in the night, I was learning to move with a certain economy of movement that lent me a quieter stride. It was progress.

Across the evening meals, I heard the tale of the worm riders, of how my companions rode one of the great Guardians. With every retelling the tale gradually grew with embellishments until now it was a thing of living legend. Kidu had, possessed by some natural instinct or raw genius, kept one of the airflaps along the sides of the great beast open with his spear. The people of the Ravens thought, in their ignorance, that the Guardians breathed the sand as if it was air. However, Kidu had doubted this, thinking the worms of the desert like the whales and porpoises of the frozen seas. The Guardian, not wanting to irritate its sensitive organs with the sands of its home was forced to travel across the surface, until finally exhausted it stilled, allowing my companions to dismount safely.

There were now variations of the spear keeping the airflap open, that it was Kidu himself and his great bulk, another variation was that it was Cordelia with a prayer to Avaria that granted them insight ride the worm. However, my money was on their pure desperation to stay alive, and a huge helping of raw luck, being the real reason that had allowed them to walk along the narrow ledge of survival. People when pushed in extreme circumstances are capable of the very best, and the very worst, of things. History has many examples of this.

*

The mist would often form along the river in the early hours of the morning, making the line of vehicles ahead of our wagon look like ghosts. The only substance they had to them was their sound, calls that echoed far. The movement of the caravan was, by far, not a quiet affair.

It was on one such morning as this that I was gifted my first vision of the great city of Al-Lazar. There in the far distance, I mistook it for a heatwave or a mirage, but a glint of gold flashed. Next to this flash, was a thin line of iron grey, the Blister Sea as I was told. That sparkle of gold was the Dome of Becoming, the tallest monument in the city of Dust, according to Laes and the other people of the Raven.

Now Laes, despite my doubts, had been true to his word. He had paid me the agreed upon silver with every month. Half of which however went to sundry costs, and the gaping hole that helping Catalina. The city in the distance represented freedom, an escape from chains both mundane and the social. When she was was not complaining, Catalina was good company on her back, but I was far too young to be settling down and the call to adventure still sang far too strong. I wanted to see more of this world, and the last thing I needed was a pre-made family to hold me back.

Though how I would be able to bid farewell without causing a scene would be another matter. I would lose too much face if I left in the middle of the night… Perhaps it would be better to discuss things with Laes, nip this problem in the bud as it were.

Laes would make a killing on this trip, exchanging his goods for the rare commodity that was the Dust. More importantly, he could probably leverage some of the information from the outside world to gain favors within the city. I would have to make sure that he did not mention me or my companions to any relevant parties that might be interested. It called for a pointed discussion, a very pointed discussion.

I ran a simulation in my mind of what would happen if I tried to slaughter everyone in the caravan. I would probably get my next level, but there would be the problem of explaining my cassus belli. The why I did what I did.

Cordelia would not bat an eyelid if I commanded it such, Elwin I’m sure after a bit of quibbling would wet his blades, and Kidu was honor-bound to aid me. The problem would be Larynda, and she represented the only potential threat if she thew her magical might behind the Ravens. I would need to convince her of the righteousness of my cause if were to make such a move, tell her that Laes was planning something. She already doubted the horse-faced man after he tried to leave me in the desert, so there was some signs of a budding loyalty there. She got points for that.

But I were to make a move against the Ravens, it would be not just against them but also the Crows with whom we were travelling with. With my small group would it be physically possible to kill every single last woman and child to stop word of me spreading out? Was it even feasible? Did I have it within me to kill a woman I had lain with and her child?

The answer was of course a resounding, no. Only if Laes moved against me could I move against him. There were no pre-emptive moves to make, no matter how potentially rewarding in terms of short term gain. It would be best for everyone involved to part ways on peaceful terms.

Our destination was so close at hand, that I felt keenly the urge to pad my purse with more money. There was no longer a need to hide my hand as it were when gambling, no need to keep up the pretense that I controlled the flow of the games. I began to win steadily, but not at a rate that I could be accused of rigging or cheating. Indeed, it would have taken a brave man indeed to put forth such an accusation. Still, there was no point in killing the golden goose.

While I kept playing out simulations of betrayal, I also made sure to plan for the future. Here and there, I pumped the people of the Raven for all they knew of the city, and most of them were happy to tell me what I wanted.

The city’s governance in comparison to the rest of the world was, in my opinion, a little different from the standard I had come to expect. Al-Lazar was controlled, essentially, by a group of companies who exerted control and influence over the politics of the city. These organizations in turn could vote on various edicts and policies of the city. Members of such families were called Shareholders, as they shared directly in the vast profits of the companies. They were essentially the lords and ladies of the city, just under different names. There was no corporate meritocracy here, as power was handed down through familial lines.

However, it hardly mattered, as even an incompetent person could reap the vast profits that were made from the annual harvest of the Dust. Despite the natural barriers of the Wastes, and the ongoing siege by sea, trade groups and caravans still found their way here to deal in the most precious of substances.

A hundred miles or so to the north was the port town of Narilmu where a trickle of trade came in from those willing to brave potential raids from the Mer. These trade groups would then make the rest of the way to the city, hiring Adventurers or mercenaries for their escort. It was a far cry from the trading heyday of AL-Lazar before their war with the people of the sea, but it was a lifeline nonetheless.

What was worrying was the strong presence of the Church of Her Divine Radiance, the followers of Avaria. I learned from Cordelia that banned from setting up in the city proper, they ran a collection of almshouses, orphanages, hospitals, and other charitable works. On the surface at least. The open secret was that the majority of the workers of the docks were of Aranthian stock and devout followers of Church. The ecclesiarchs of the Church, if they so wished, cut off one of the lifelines to Al-Lazar, giving them great influence. I would have to avoid them as much as possible or turn them to my cause.

From Abas Yar I learned that there was yet another land route that was as perilous as crossing the desert. Further north, you could travel until the desert became a jungle. Through this primordial jungle was a road made in ancient times from large blocks of white marble stone. You would think that this would be a safe thing to travel, but green skins had made their homes in the jungle. Barbaric tribes and clans of Orcs and Goblins, fought each other under the dark canopies of the trees, fighting each other as often as they attacked the merchant caravans that were lured by the prospect of acquiring the Dust.

The Ravens would not be traveling through this route, instead going back across the Green Road and hoping that it had yet to dry out. Hopefully, they could avoid further encounters with the Children of the Tides or the Church.

Al-Lazar was ostensibly a city at war and under siege. However, between the Adventurer’s and Mercenary Guilds' strong presence within the city, along with their private armies, the city was well defended. Between the city of Narilmu, and the other overland routes, and despite the dangers of those routes, the city was well supplied.

Indeed, the raids of the Mer had long ago been relegated to minor nuisances, the war mainly affecting the sea routes into the city. Indeed there had been talk of suing for peace, but this had been vetoed at every turn. There were rumors that guilds of the city did not wish for peace and that the current status quo served them well.

From what I gleaned, a man with a strong arm and an appetite for war would find easy employment within the city.

There was talk of a tournament that would soon be held in the city, and this certainly piqued my interest. These sorts of events in games were always fun and were a good way to raise one’s influence and earn rich rewards. Looking at my companions, I was pretty sure that even if I could not win it, I was sure that perhaps one of them could.

But these were worries for another time, as in the distance a group of horsemen were approaching us. Laes seemed unusually calm at this turn of events and seemed almost relieved. Was this what he was waiting for? If so, he would be the first to fall if he planned treachery.