32 Undying Lust (1/3)
* City of Jazrah, Court of Sultan Ismail Khand *
A woman in fine robes sped down the long reception hall. Her hair was loose, her skin tan and her eyes painted with lines of black, as most attractive women tended to do in her culture. She had a multitude of charts, sketches and rolled-up papyruses in her grasp and some tucked under her armpits. Her spectacles had slid, all the way to the tip of her nose and she kept her head high, just so they wouldn't fall off. She walked up to the two royal guards in front of the massive door, giving them a determined look. The burly men wore shining breastplate guards over fine leather armor. They wielded long spears and well polished shields, engraved with intricate patterns and a symbol of a sun within a bigger one. The soldiers nodded to each another, obviously having expected the woman's arrival, before turning to the heavy door. Each grasping a handle, they pulled open the heavy metal door, revealing a magnificent throne room.
High ceiling, long columns, an intricate mosaic on the floor depicting two suns and pool of water surrounded by potted ferns. There were many details of the décor, filled with gold and silver and the air smelled of oils and perfume. An obvious display of wealth and glamour in a city of corruption and empty stomachs. There were even some peacocks in a pen designed to look like a small garden oasis of sorts. The woman disregarded anything shiny or glamorous and simply trudged ahead towards her target. The Royal Vizier, Dalnír, awaited in front of the steps leading to a lush throne of silk pillows and soft pelts from exotic beasts. The Sultan Ismail himself, lay there on his side flanked by two members of the royal guard. Beside him sat a beautiful woman, feeding him some kind of dried fruit. Another stood next to him, cooling him with a combination of Air and Water magic. The women wore dresses that barely qualified as clothing and left very little to the imagination. The scholarly woman scoffed at the sight of them, feeling sorry that some women would fall this low for a living.
Two soldiers, dressed in armor that indicated they had some sort of authority within the army, were also present and waited to hear what she would have to say. The Vizier was the one to break the silence as soon as the woman approached. "Star Reader Dalila! Our exalted Sultan bids you a warm welcome. Your message seemed most urgent and troubling as well. Are you ready to present your case in front of his majesty and his royal court?". The woman adjusted her spectacles once more before answering positively, with all the proper manners and niceties required of her. "My lords.." she finally spoke, "..almost a month ago, a fallstreak was observed over the Great desert by myself and a colleague of mine. Although the falling light was first believed to be a traveling star or simply a chunk of skyrock that had found itself tumbling towards Sulteros.. we now have reason to believe it was much more!". The Star Reader had certainly gained the attention of the Royal court at this point. Even the Sultan seemed interested to see her findings, even if his gaze would often wonder back to the bodies of the beautiful women surrounding him, every now and then. Dalila, seizing her moment, dropped everything she held. Everything but a top down depiction of the Elgolar Desert. The Great Plateau was in the middle of the map and someone had carefully drawn peculiar geometric symbols as well as wavelike ripples extending outwards from the massive formation. "What are we looking at?" asked the Vizier with a concerned voice.
"Laylines! Massive laylines of Mana and Aether converging over the crash site of the falling object! Initially we thought the environment was reacting violently to the fallen object and that this effect would eventually subside. We kept monitoring however and behold.." with that she flipped over the map revealing a second drawing with much larger laylines. "The influx of exotic energies not only became more massive, it also became more refined.. frequent..".
"And you came all this way to show as your drawings?" The Sultan interrupted while groping one of his servants. "You Star Readers.. Always with your eye in the sky.. Honestly, if you people were not capable sorcerers I would have torn down that Gods awful Observatory of yours, ages ago. Every now and then you barge in here with readings and visions from the stars. What is it this time? A prediction? A message? What have your superstitions conjured for me this time?". The Star Readers of Acamar were Scholars and Astronomers first. A truth that was however pushed aside by many years of negative influence from the royal line of the capital. Superstition and Sorcery now ruled the main studies of the Star Readers, many of whom had abandoned their studies for a position of seer or diplomat in the court of nobles. The newest Sultan had diminished their status even further by discrediting their knowledge and abilities completely. The court laughed with their lord's comment. Only the Vizier kept his composure and allowed the woman to continue with a nod of his head.
"An Elder Core.." she spoke and the rest of them went silent. The Sultan grasped the hand feeding him and pushed it away as his court gaped with surprise. "I believe it to be an Elder Core.. Harvesting for energy, expanding the field of its influence. From the radius and the lack of any indigenous peoples in that area I think we can assume it is a Dungeon Master, however our historical sources cannot indicate what could be held inside its dungeon. We have no knowledge of secrets, fallen gods or forgotten tombs in the area so whoever or whatever the captive of this dungeon is, remains a mystery."
The court's silence was replaced with nervous mumbling and debate on the facts being presented. Soon Dalila couldn't even be heard over the crowd's ever growing paranoia and lack of self control. "Silence!" the Sultan ordered and stood. The Vizier took this opportunity to finally state his concerns. "Star Reader Dalila, these.. laylines.. you presented us with. They seemed.. massive! You said this Core fell from the Sky a month ago? How powerful is it?".
"By our estimate.. It could already be an Imperial Dungeon Core!". Panic spread amongst the court once more until their prattling was silenced by a glare from their Sultan. "Woman.. are you certain of what you speak? Our Sultanate hasn't had a Dungeon in years! This could be a great source of constant wealth.. An entire new village could be built around such a treasure.. an expedition would need to be arranged to get ahead of our enemies! How can a newly born Dungeon be this strong!?".
For the first time since arriving, Dalila seemed to not have the answer, at least not the one the Sultan was looking for. "This is why I came before you lord.. This discovery is unprecedented. We have no data suggesting that an Elder Core can mature this quickly but at the same time that does not make it impossible! We could be looking at something quite unique here, an opportunity to obtain great power, wealth and knowledge from this Dungeon! So yes, by all means! Send this expedition right away!" Dalila continued enthusiastically. The Sultan sat down once more, skeptical and troubled. He looked to his Vizier and Dalnír approached immediately. "My lord, this would be a great opportunity indeed. If what the Reader says is even remotely true, we must be the first ones to claim this land.".
"But if she is wrong.. I will have stretched the accords of our vassal states with our advancement for no gain. The peace barely holds, there are already words of rebellion from the South. I can't just send an entire expedition in a gray zone without the prospect of certain gain." the Sultan answered back with a whisper.
Dalila couldn't hear them speak, she was too far for that. She could however read their lips! She understood every single word they uttered to each other's ear. These blundering fools would ruin her chance of success so as not to anger the nations they had already conquered and humiliated? She could become a Magister within her order if she proved this discovery to be true and unraveled its secrets. All she needed was coin and some resources! "My lords.. Send me! Send me to the Plateau with but a few resources to investigate! Allow me to prove my theory to you before you form a decision!". She gave the monarch exactly what he was looking for and he took the bait so quickly you'd think it was his idea all along. "Hmm and who will escort you?".
"I can hire mercenaries from the Guild.. none affiliated to your throne so the vassals won't see it as a threat from you even if they discovered us there.." she answered calmly and the Sultan nodded to his Vizier.
"Star Reader Dalila.." Dalnír said as he stood tall once more. "You will be appointed head of this expedition and granted a small amount of resources to see it through. We will first discuss the parameters of this assignment with the court and then re-summon you before us. Until then, prepare, reflect and select a team to follow you there. May you walk in the light of the Sunlord..".
Dalila bowed deeply and turned her back to the court as she headed for the exit. She fought back the urge to smirk and laugh at those pathetic power-mongers. She had come with a mission and managed to leave with exactly what she wanted. Soon she would be the only scholar on site. The only master of the Arcane studying the unusually powerful Elder. These expeditions could go on for weeks, even months, everyone knew that. By then, she would have expanded her knowledge immeasurably and by the end of it all.. With an Elder Core powering her magic? She could become an Archmage and lay waste to this pathetic Sultanate once and for all. She would free the Observatory from oppression and tyranny.. Create a system where the wise and knowledgeable ruled over fools like the Sultan and his court of Imps.
The woman walked out the door as the royal guards shut it behind her. She fixed her hair in a bun now that she didn't need to look "pretty" for the pack of fools in the palace. With a wave of her hand, all her paper charts and graphs disappeared in a puff of purple smoke. Stored away safely in her interdimensional pocket space. She could have done that since the beginning of course, but.. it was much easier to trust someone when you thought they were just an inexperienced and enthusiastic scholar. Dalila was much more than that though.. soon.. Jázrah and all of Acamar would come to know that!
