Chapter VI: Who Rules... the Iksar Kingdom?
Without speaking, the Iksar pulled the hood off of a small, bound humanoid, and out poured a ruffled length of silken hair and two pointy ears. She was kneeling, facing a door.
Go inside half elf, the Iksar said before she heard him turn and walk away. Slowly, she moved closer to the door. She reached out to touch it but hesitated for a moment. Before she could move her hand back, a voice from inside said 'Enter', passively, as if occupied by a heavy workload. The half elf waited for a moment and opened the door. Inside, she saw an Iksar seated in a high-backed wooden chair facing a fireplace. He was wearing a velvet robe and in his mouth was a regal, darkwood tobacco pipe. The Iksar took a puff and blew several bubbles into the room.
She stood at the doorway in disbelief for several moments before she decided to speak. When she did, the Iksar did not avert his gaze from the fire. He waited for several moments before slowly raising his head, as if he were deeply reminiscing about past triumphs and gallantry on the field of battle. He looked her in the eyes and she felt her knees weaken slightly. He smiled in a contorted, forced manner as the Iksar do, and said. "Welcome to my home, half elf. Please, make yourself comfortable. I have wine on ice there on the table." She approached cautiously. "It was bottled before Sebilis fell." he said frankly, gesturing at the wine, "You may not have noticed, but the Iksar do not make wine anymore. Who had ever heard of Iksar wine? This is exceedingly rare. On second thought, don't touch the wine, it cost more than you did."
The Iksar turned in his chair. "It is a marvel that this bottle survived the panic as they razed Sebilis-- the chaos. Our records and histories, so little survived.". The half elf looked puzzled by this strange, talkative Iksar, but he seemed not to notice. "Do you know who rules the dust we call Cabilis, elf?" She was silent. "No? I can assure you it is not Emperor Vekkin. Who controls the flow of goods and services throughout all of Cabilis? He sells you fresh food to bring home to your family. His mining operations feed the forges that armor our soldiers. Do you think Vekkin's meager taxes pay the salaries for so many legionnaires? War Baron Eator belongs to me. The necromancers, do they mind? Don't worry about them. They're nihilists, they don't care about anything. Glox sits in stupor. And you might find it difficult to make it into the ranks of the Scaled Mystics without my endorsement, or to endure expensive training in mysticism without my funding.
"And the Crusaders of Greenmist? You may notice they never seem to catch so much as a copper from me. Poorly trained, poorly equipped, they are a mockery, a last resort for desperate Iksar. Arch Duke Xog is helpless and impotent, his knights a scattered band of ineffectual hooligans."
"Elf, they sit in their shining towers and dreadful temples, and they bark orders to one another. But at the foot of their towers, in this plain building, in these barren and dusty halls, rests all the power and influence. They do not rule Cabilis; the Haggle Baron Klok rules Cabilis, as he now rules you, maiden. Remove your clothing and show me my new assets while I stroke my Klok."
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
It had been several days since Kuriak had reported to Arch Duke Xog and he still hadn't heard anything. He spent some of his money dining on froglok tadpoles elegantly prepared in a bisque of emulsified goblin fetuses. Some of his money went to outfitting young Iksar, including a shaman named Zellana, who he equipped with a suit of banded and a deadly harpoon. He would need allies in the future and he hoped to cultivate a band of loyal Iksar.
While waiting for further orders he joined a detachment of Iksar from all disciplines in an expedition into Kurn's tower. There, they met foreigners who also had some interest in what may be guarded in the ruins. He spent several days fighting the skeletons and amassed enough bone chips to raise an army of undead. He learned to shatter the psyches of his enemies with unbearable terror and make them flee. He could coalesce strands of pure darkness into the physical world and burden his enemies with it, slowing their movement.
While resting with his party, a fellow Crusader delivered dispatches from Arch Duke Xog himself, instructing Kuriak to return to Cabilis and report at once.
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
He arrived to find Arch Duke Xog on his balcony, looking out over Cabilis with a blank expression. When Kuriak arrived Xog did not turn to face him, he simply spoke.
Arch Duke Xog: Kuriak, in consideration of the information I am about to disclose, and the following assignment, I am promoting you to the rank of Knight, a full member of the Crusaders of Greenmist. This Knight's Khukri will no longer be much use in combat but it will ceremonially signify your rank and title. Keep it safe.
Arch Duke Xog: We have reason to believe the forces of Sebilis are plotting an offensive. We also have evidence they are receiving aid from their brethren in Guk.
Xog hesitated a moment, and turned to face Kuriak. There was great distress in his voice as he spoke.
Arch Duke Xog: Further, we believe the frogloks are colluding with somebody inside Cabilis. We need evidence. We need to find the traitor. To that end, Kuriak, I am deploying you to the froglok enclave in Guk. Once there, you are to hinder their operation in any way possible. Search for any intelligence you can find, and disrupt their capability to be of use to Sebilis. You are a knight now Kuriak, and we are granting you a small budget for the recruitment and retention of Pawns. Now travel to Guk, and do not return without news of victory.
Refreshed from a delightful stay in Cabilis, Kuriak prepared for his second overseas deployment, this time to the swamps of southern Antonica.