Gate Thread: Abu`Sahir - Foreigner's Court

[Rexton]

"Ah! Thank you, good man, where do I sign?"

Rexton pulled a quill out and eagerly waited for the Magistrate to present him with documents.

[Rexton]

OOC: Anyone there?

[Tian Cross]

occ: Sorry abou tthe slight delay - I have been hard at work this weekend so far!

ic: The magistrate once again studied the peculiar man before him. He was a strange one indeed! He scribbled something else down on the ledger and pushed it to one side.

"My good man, you don't need to sign anything. If we had people signing in all the time, the city would only be half full! What I'm saying is a lot of people don't wish for their identities to be known to everyone... you get me?"

The small man then straightened his jacket "Well I hope you find all the food and spices you are after! Just follow the road to the trade district if that's where you heading. Mention my name at the Golden Ram and they'll get you a drink alright..." He chuckled once again... "But I'm not going to be giving you that now am I?"

He scanned the line motioning a women to come forward, to Rexton he said "Be off with you then!"

[Rexton]

"Ah, very well, then. Thank you my good man!"

Rexton primed himself, fixed his hair and marched into the city.

OOC: Do I just post in another thread then?

[Tian Cross]

occ: I assume you would like to go to the Golden Ram tavern? If so you can post an entrance to the tavern in that thread.

Here is a link to the thread http://www.tazlure.nl/board/viewtopic.php?t=6490

Any other questions just ask me!

[Pipuy]

19 Samheen, late Tradetide

It was like nothing Pipuy had ever seen before.

The contrast from her small village was so vast as to dazzle. Foreigners' Court was bright with all manner of things that Pipuy could not even begin to fathom. Nothing her uncle had taught her could quite prepare her for the astonishment that the big city would bring. Even in the slowly fading light of the late part of Tradetide, the colors alone were dazzling enough.

The tiny young woman -- if her donkey raised his head, he might be taller than she was! -- stopped and stared, eyes flicking now to the flash from a smith's anvil, now to the people in odd attire, now to the bright fabrics on display in some merchant's stall. Her nose twitched at the unfamiliar scents. Ever curious, she tried to look everywhere at once. Without really thinking about it, she unwound the veil she had worn for protection from the sands, revealing the shining black hair and dark skin of an Amunnite. She held the veil idly in her hands, distracted by the sights and sounds around her. Her heart was beating faster than usual from a combination of excitement, curiosity, and a little apprehension at being turned loose in this grand, unfamiliar place alone. The donkey stood patiently, laden with her rather meager but no less treasured possessions.

Her goggle-eyed wondering was suddenly interrupted by the brusque greeting of the magistrate. Hurriedly, she composed herself and bowed politely to the man.

"My name is Pipuy, loyal subject of the Rafao, may Uphuron shine upon him," she began. "I have been sent from my village by my uncle, Suty the historian, to study and learn here in the city."

[OOC: Let me know if I need a different timestamp. I'm flexible. Looking forward to playing!]

[Ashari]

The short man, only seemingly tall thanks to his podium and two foot high pedastal, looked down at the small girl and smiled. "Why hello, Welcome to Abu`Sahir." Women were always a sight to see in the desert, many who entered were men, adventurers particularly, and there were only so many rogues one could see before one tired. Even better she toted the name of the Rafao with the proper recitation and seeming of reverence. The magistrate was impressed.

It seemed to only get better. She began to say that she was already a learned person, a woman of the books. "If only, my dear, there were more like you. History is a beautiful subject." He almost forgot his duties as he looked between she and her donkey. Quickly she scratched down her name and where she came from. "Do you have a last name, Miss Pipuy?" He asked while jotting down the bit of coming to the city to study.

"There are many of places for learning here in Abu`Sahir, I could take you on a bit of a tour, if you would be interested in such. I will not be reliquishing my post for another mark or so, however." He was an older man, in his fourties atleast, but he had soft brown eyes when looking upon something as sweet as the young girl before him. His head was shaved in the proper Amunic fashion, to praise Uphuron, and he wore a simple enough tunic of fine fabric and little adornment other than a gold wrist band.

OOC: Timestamp is fine! Welcome aboard, and Happy New Year.

[Pipuy]

Pipuy blushed a little under the man's genial smile, and unconsciously smoothed her own very plain dress, brushing away the dust and sand of the journey. "My family name is Wenymose," she said. "We are named for my ancestor who once made a necklace for a Rafao's daughter." She said this last with a little hesitation; it wasn't much of an accomplishment to be a family's most notable ancestor, but for a modest family like hers, it was what there was.

"I would be most grateful to have a tour of the city, if it would not impose on your time too much," she said. "I will also need a place to stay while I am here, and a place for my donkey. Can you recommend a place? If you know a place I can go, I could go there first and then return to meet you when your time is your own?"

[Ashari]

"Wenymose.." He said jotting it down. "Doesn't sound familiar, but if you've got skilled enough artisans in your lineage to work for a Rafao already, then I'm sure you will be excellent at whatever you pursue." He smiled.

"It won't impose on my time at all, Miss Wenymose, do not worry. Perhaps take your donkey over to the stables for now, and depending how you find our establishments you might take a room above the library? It is a very old building, but there've always been a few apartments up there. I know that the head librarian likes having people about, he's always looking for help to keep the shelves in order, if you are looking for money." The older gentleman offered.

"So, go over to the stables, keep straight on this road and you will see the barraks of the guards, the stables are right following that. Large building, not expensive to stow a creature there at all. Then, grab something to eat, there are plenty of places, and come back in about a mark." The magistrate smiled.

OOC: Mark is equal to an hour or so. Go ahead and post to this, and then you can create a new thread setting out for the stables.

[Guest]

Calmly the half giant made his way through the remainder of the desert, seeing the city of Abu Sahir in the distance. He had cleaned himself up with some of the water he had left, including a shave, put on his armor and had changed his clothes, before he marched for the city. His gear he had stowed into his pack and his money purse now hung beneath his armor. ~Probably the safest place for it, according to what my father told me of this place. ~ he thought. As he approached the outskirts, he looked around, knowing there was some sort of a place where the newcomers had to report in. For a moment he stopped and pondered, then calmly walked into the city, heading for what they had called 'Foreigner's Court'.


A little while later, Murat walked into the foreigner's court, looking around and a little lost, though he had the map of his father in his memory, yet the city had changed since his father had been here. Clad within his leather armor, iron banded leather helmet, leather breeches and linnen shirt, the half giant made his way through the crowd, as his 7'10" frame seemed to cause people to move aside. With his pack on his back and his shield on his left arm, which he used as a plough to cut through the crowd, he stopped to look at the Magistrate upon his podium.

As he was addressed by the man, Murat looked slightly upwards and grinned towards the man. "Murat Dorovar is the name and I came to follow my Father's and my Uncle's footsteps, which is to become a warrior." he spoke in a dry and clear tone of voice. "Time and my gear is all I have, good man. Sorry if you do not have all tide, but I do. If you would be so kind as to point me towards the nearest tavern, it would be appreciated." Taverns, his father and uncle had said, were the places where people came to hire guards and warriors, thus would be a good place to start.

[Ashari]

The magistrate smiled to Pipuy when she finished whatever she was going to say to him, and then turned a soured face to Murat. He didn't care much for half-giants. Every single one he had met wanted to be a warrior, and it seemed this one was no different. However, this one seemed to atleast have on his side the fact that he could speak common with enough fluency for the magistrate to not have to slide into the half-giant tongue. Such an ugly language.

What he didn't realize was that the adhiel said the same thing about common. Ironic. He wouldn't really understand the humor.

Luckily for Murat, the magistrate was directly after the gate into Abu`Sahir, so it wasn't too difficult to find. If nothing else, the long line to the short bald-headed and toga wearing man might be an indication. Even with this though, many stumbled blindly on, distracted by the glamour of the Foreigner's Court wherein a vast cornucopia of goods awaited the haggard travellers.

"Your Father and Uncle, eh?" He looked up at him and quickly jotted down the name and the job that the half-giant would be pursuing. The tone this Murat used: I know you haven't got all day, but I do... Seemed almost condescending to the magistrate which he didn't take kindly to at all, but his mood was softened slight by the arrival of Miss Wenymose, so he didn't push the issue. "There is the Bad Omen... all sorts of thieves and murders hang out about there, you might fit right in." He replied dryly before adding: "Or Anurith's Golden Ram." Idly he licked his lips and looked at Murat. "Dancing ladies and fine mead, merchants and nobleman's second sons have a tendency of frequenting that particular locale."

[Guest]

Murat nodded friendly-like and spoke in a fairly similar tone. "Why thank you, good man. Mead might be good after such a disastrous desert travel, to wash away the dust with. Unfortunately my raptor did not quite make it, it seems that way at least, so I was rather rudely forced to continue on foot. Never liked dragons anyways, but I had not expected to encounter one so close to the city. Less then a day's walk from here no less."

While he spoke, he shortly pulled a sour face, as the was telling the man of the loss of his raptor, then calmly resumed in the same friendly tone for the rest of it, although he imagined that the part of the dragon so close to the city would perhaps rattle the man's interest for a bit.

"Which of the two taverns might best find me a decent job, kind sir? After all, I expect that your expertise of this here city would clearly be to my advantage, if you would share this much with me?" While speaking, he used his excellent memory to put all the given information into his head, to be used at a later point in time, but at the same time used his gift of storytelling to keep the man interested.

[Ashari]

The magistrate looked at Murat and began laughing. "A dragon!" He looked at the half-giant incredulously. "You must be daft, boy, or deranged from thirst!" He laughed a bit more, not intrigued as Murat had thought he would be, but rather bursting with mirth. "There've been no dragons seen in the entirety of the Seven Isles in a good age. There are those little sects, the ones that are looking to find a dragon, they believe it to be the superior of the snakes which is sacred here in Amun Rah, but none have claimed to actually see a dragon."

He washed out eyes looked at the to-be warrior, there was almost pity within them, as if he thought the half-giant to be insane. "Don't you think we might notice a dragon about? What with the flying and the eating of the herds?" One of his brows lifted. "I'm not sure if I should be recommending you to a position to find a decent job if you actually are damaged from the lack of water..." He trailed off and allowed the man before him to prove his case of deserving the job, or to move on.

[Guest]

Murat merely smirked and replied without much hesitation. "Of course you may call me daft, your lordship, but then you would also be able to explain what kind of animal flies, large enough to scare off a raptor and possibly kill it, which you can hear approaching by the beating of it's wings at more then a mile's distance, now wouldn't you? I would really love to hear your explanation then." The half giant's eyes sparkled with restrained anger, but seemed to contain it well. Instead of letting his anger take charge, his intellect took over.


"I'm sure your lordship has a better desert education then someone that grew up in it all his life. Perhaps you would even have been able to keep a raptor from fleeing, which I could not with my strength?" Murat added with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

[Ashari]

The joy that had been in the Magistrate's eyes drained, as did his humour. Blankly he stared at the half-giant before him. Intellectually he knew that the man before him could crush him if he were so inclined, but that mattered very little to the short man, who was more concerned with the delirious desert-goer entering Abu`Sahir. In addition to that, he did not appreciate sarcasm from anyone, especially a lowly nomad.

"My explaination would be that your brain has been cooked from the heat of Uphuron's gaze." The old man said decidedly and stared forward at Murat. "It would be in your best interest to agree with me. I will not be letting crazy people into the city, people who may do harm to our citizens." His brown eyes met Murat's gaze.

"So, you were saying you were crazed with thirst...?" He trailed off, allowing Murat to pick up with the sentence and to agree with him.

A few of the others who waited in line shuffled uncomfortably. They were unsure of the half-giant about as much as they were nervous about confronting the Magistrate before them. The heat was almost unbearable to those were weren't used to it, to Murat it was commonplace. One of the others in line, a human with a shaved head, looked at the half-giant quizically. He had brown eyes like many of Amun Rah's humans, but they were flecked with gold. His brows lifted as he waited to see if the strong being would fall to the Magistrate's demands.

[Guest]

Murat shook his head at the magistrate, then slowly grabbed the edge of the scaffold he was standing on and pushed it hard, before tugging on it in an equal way. "So for stating something that you deem to be impossible or just do not wish to hear, you would refuse an honest man from entering the City, merely based on your own assumptions or your mood of the moment, without as much as checking whether or not someone could be speaking the truth, bureaucrat?"

Slowly his hand slid to the hilt of the Falchion at his waist, which he pulled out of it's sheath and held it in one hand, glimmering in the light of the sun. The look of the blade was as if it had been used for quite a long time, but was obviously being well-kept, just like the rest of his equipment. "Have I not stated before that this took place at an oasis? Which part of that did you not understand?"

The voice of the half-giant boomed, obviously now getting closer to lose his patience. "If this is how you treat citizens of Amun Rah that seek employment in the nation's capital or render their services to the Rafao, then you can keep your precious City to yourself, including whatever job I might have found. Your attitude has been weighed, little man, which is found to be lacking. Another of my race would have cleaved your sorry carcass in two, for merely implying that he was not by his right mind, much less what would be done for actually stating it."

With little effort, Murat leaped upon the scaffold the man was standing on, approaching him with his drawn blade. His massive frame casting a shadow over the much smaller bureaucrat and his eyes blazing with fire, as he looked down upon the man. "Instead of wasting our time like this in the scorching sun, which is not a pleasant thing for those not accustomed to it like we half giants are, you should be pleased to give people passage inside the city. More people means more trade, more trade means more wealth, which in turn means more taxes to go into the treasury, for which even the Rafao would be thankful. Now either you stop wasting my time and those behind me or just plainly state that you dislike me and therefor I cannot enter the city, because THAT is what it comes down to, isn't it? I warn you however, to speak loud enough for all to hear, for I will take this matter to someone ranked higher then yourself and bring these folks with me as witnesses."

[Ashari]

"There are no dragons in Abu`Sahir, nor in Amun Rah!" The Magistrate announced looking at Murat. "This is not a matter of interpretation, nor of opinion, it is a fact!" His voice had raised to a bellow as he glowered looking at the half-giant who he was much more than irritated with. It had been a good many weeks since he had had a problem in someone who had arrived, everyone who came to the gates wanted to gain access to Abu`Sahir, and so would simply state their name and business, without causing trouble.

As the crazed being drew his blade the Magistrate's eyes widened to twice their size. He had never been attacked while on duty. It had been a good many yahren since he saw the red heat of battle, and he was hardly prepared as the giant beared down on him, menacingly waving his sword about. Trying his best to regain his wits he cleared his throat and stared upward at the half-giant, more than two heads taller than he. "I command you to step down from my position, lunatic. Guards!" Several human guards moved forward, each carried a scythe, and looked at Murat with that wicked gleam in their eyes that carried the fact they wanted a fight. They were young and eager for battle.

"My personal opinion of those entering the city is most definately important, for I am the first stop in protecting our people from thieves, murderers and rapists. Of which, considering your attitude, you may fall into any if not all categories. Now sheath your blade or taste your own death."

By now the other people who stood in line had backed up dramatically, all except for the one young human who had been watching Murat with his golden tinged eyes. Curiously he watched the interplay between bureaucrat and warrior.

"Insult me no longer with your foul distemper. Stand down!" The magistrate commanded.

[Guest]

Murat shook his head at the Magistrate, then slowly sheated his blade, totally disregarding the approaching guards. He spoke in a soft voice which was void of anger, but not without a slight despising undertone. "You're not worth the trouble of killing, for you have no honor left. It was sold away once you took a position as a bureaucrat. There is still fire within your eyes and voice, that of someone who once was a warrior. Write what you will, bureaucrat, but let us not waste eachothers time any longer then we have to, shall we?"

With a swift movement he got off the scaffold and simply stood in front of it, looking up at the man's face. "I already gave you my name, business and you were about to give me directions to both of the tavern's I believe? Yet I will not impose on you any longer, I'll find them myself. Please be human enough to just sign me in and i'll be on my way." Patiently he stood there, although now keeping an eye on the guards and a hand near the hilt of his blade. "You can call off your guards now, you will not need them."

[Maeve]

OOC: can this running thread be moved to a seperate thread so I can claim this for the Modding seminar

This thread is now the domain of Stahl!

[Guest]

Reporting for duty! *wipes his nose on his sleeve, muttering something about bloody deserts*

[Ashari]

OOC: Moving on moving on.

IC:

The magistrate looked at Murat and nodded as he sheathed his weapon, but also watched carefully to make sure he didn't try anything funny. "Guards, stand down." He glared at the half-giant and then looked down at his parchment. All of his questions had been answered, and the lowly being before him wasn't pushing the subject of the dragon any longer.

"Alright, get on through." He waved aside, but kept a close eye on the half-giant.

OOC: Murat, I'm starting a new thread for you. I haven't thought of a title yet, lol, but your name will be in the title so you should be able to find it. If you don't see it PM me and I'll send you a link.

[Guest]

Relieved at being rid of the most annoying disturbance, the magistrate sank back in his luscious pile of cushions. He urgently gestured for a cool glass of cactus fruit juice and a slave to wipe the salty sweat from his bald head. ” By Uphorun, these half giants keep getting crazier every time I meet one!”

The magistrate settles himself in a comfortable position. Whilst adjusting his impressive moustache in a delicate way, he surveys his surroundings. Stretching his neck to compensate for his short, stocky stature he looks down to the next unwashed traveller in line.
“Come on then”, he said in his typical grating voice, “state your name and reason for your visit.”

[Chachi Will]

Jolly ho, here came the one and only Chachi Will! Lost on a ship bound for faraway shores, his journey ended in a country of sand and heat, in a city of slaves and rafaos. Naturally, Chachi Will had no idea what a rafao was except that he who held this title was some sort of authority here.

However, the immediate trouble was in this fat-necked bloke before him. Chachi had stood in line for some time, and was absolutely urging to speak. He trode forward.

"Jolly ho, my name!?" he uttered incredulously and loudly. "My name!" The jester grinned foolishly. "Our name?" In a moment Chachi had brought out his mirror.
He turned so that he stood with his side towards fat-neck, looking at himself in the mirror. "My name?" he asked to the mirror in a calm voice.
Then the clown turned around, pretending to be the one he had spoken to in the mirror. "Your name? No, my name!" it came in a deep and angry baritone.
And back to the calm conspicious one. "No, my name you blue-headed bunny!"
And turn. "What did you call me?"
"Less than you deserve to be called."
"Is that a challenge?"
"No."
"What's it then, huh?" Aggressive here.
"An insult." Coolly.
"An insult!"
"An insult indeed."
"That's an insult, insulting me!"
"Well, of course it's an insult insulting you, after all I insulted you. You mean the insult conveyed another insult as well."
"???"
"A simple insult such as 'belly-blue basket-boof' is insulting. But as daring insulting you is also insulting quite separated from the actual insult, it's doubly insulting. No?"
"??????"
"You don't get it."
"You're insulting me with this talk!" Most confused and angry now.
"Well, then you've taken the point. Congratulations."
"Huh!? Argh!"

At this point Chachi Will was beginning to become rather dizzy. Turning so quickly one way and the other he understood now, could have an odd impact on your sensory organs. He was seeing spots and sound seemed to overwhelm him from all sides. As such, Chachi Will attempted to pull out some sort of container containing liquid from his backpack. Unfortunately the jester half-elf had no such thing in his backpack, and so only turned up with his bagpipes.

As already mentioned, his vision was profoundly disturbed at this point, and so he put it to his mouth and inhaled. Immediately Chachi got rather blue in the face, something he found exceedingly strange as he spoken of belly-blue appearances, but never mentioned nothing about faces. In any case the inhaling (as inhaling has a habit to) soon turned to exhaling. All at once another sound pierced the air. Chachi Will vaguely recognized, but could not quite place it just now. He went for his best and tried to turn to fat-neck.

"Come with uncle and hear all proper! Hear angel trumpets and devil trombones. You are invited!"

[Guest]

Peering down at one of the most bizarre apperitions ever, the Magistrate moaned. Oh no, what did I do to deserve this? My ancestors must have deserted me!, streaked through his mind. Nervously winding his moustache around his right index-finger, the Magistrate craned his neck to stare at the disturbing figure in front of him.

The puny, little character started to rant and rave in a rather troubling fashion. Finding appeasement in his straight backed, heavy muscled personal guard, the Magistrate looked in wonderment at the swirling derwisj. A tense moment came and passed when the motley lunatic reached for something out of his backpack.

It was a strange bag with sticks attached to it. Sticking one of them in his mouth, the undersized fool inhaled untill his pinched face turned cobalt. On exhaling the sack produced a most agonizing skriegh. The magistrate pressed his hands against his ears and roared angry: "Stop it, you fool! Stop that right now!" Outraged by the stranger's oafish behaviour, he slowly gathered his thoughts. Before continuing he took a deep sigh. In a more sedate manner he demanded: "State name and reason for your visit".

[Rok N'aan]

The half giant waited patiently in the small line to gain entry to the city. He had come here many times as a merchant so this wasn't new to him but this time he was nervous. He had just left his family's trade caravan and was here for a different purpose.

Finally it was his turn and he stepped up to the man seated behind the small podium. The half giant smiled and said, "My name is Rok N'aan and I am here in search of employment. I plan to provide protective services to those that have more many than brawn."

Rok N'aan stood there quietly waiting for any further questions the magistrate might have of him.

OOC: I don't know anything about timestamps yet.... Not sure if I need one. My sheet was just approved and I am trying to get started.