The voyage to Tegel was uneventful, not that Tarek minded. Tyrrian had approached the thief with his wish to return to Tegel Manor with a large portion of the Heroes of Eros for another foray against the evil that dwelt in that foul place. Tarek at first was going to advise against such an endeavor, but knew the brash young warrior would never turn his back on the chance to destroy evil on its home ground. So without wasting breath on a heated argument Tarek agreed to go on the condition that he would stay outside the manor and act as a back-up in case anything went terribly wrong.
There had been talk among the merchants of a terrifying beast of fire roaming the countryside north and west of Tegel. The descriptions of which made him believe it could possibly be the second Scarlet tiger that had evaded them in the past after the destruction of the Emerald Enchanter's lair. These rumors needed to be verified so the thief decided to put the job that the crazy halfling Mike Lee and Decklin the dwarf had proposed on hold. After all the possibility of ancient ruins under the Modron city jail wouldn't be going anywhere anyway.
Tyrrian already wore the pelt of a Scarlet tiger and the possibility of capturing the second one alive could be very beneficial to young warriors fighting order.
After the Dragon boat was beached on the shores near Tegel village, Tarek grasped Tyrrian's arm briskly in a farewell shake and cheerfully quipped, "May the odds be in your favor brother!" Then in a quieter tone he followed with, "And may the gods Sashu and Losborst watch over you. I would say be careful but I know better!"
Smiling Tyrrian responded, "Thank you brother, and may the gods be with you - and um, good luck."
Tarek flashed his trademark smile and winked, "Better lucky than good!" He turned to the other Heroes of Eros and gave an exaggerated bow, "My friends I bid thee farewell." He then gracefully leapt over the gunwale and into the surf.
Tarek headed straight into the village proper to start verifying the rumors. He knew the rest of the party were going to Hero's Hill to retrieve the body of Sven for the trip to see the Banshee at midnight. Wanting no part of that the thief knew his time would be better spent visiting the White Horse to speak with the locals, besides a few ales wouldn't hurt - it had been a long boat ride after all.
Not being a true woodsman himself started to become quickly apparent to Tarek after the second day of wandering in the woods. Unless the prey were feisty barmaids, pipeweed, ale or (dis)honest games of chance it came as no surprise that he was coming up with nothing. A trip to a nearby village may be in order as the Hawkswood trio should still be around and Rubie especially, would be a great help.
Tegel was no place to be caught out after dark and Tarek returned to the White Horse as dusk settled over the quiet village. Brother Beavis had transformed the place into a Tavernacle. A sort of bar slash temple dedicated to Losborst! It was actually quite innovative and Tarek approved. Though the ale and wine here were of good quality and strength he missed the dwarf stout from the Grin reaper, the fine whiskey and pipe weeds from the city shops and "his" spot in the corner alcove at the dealer's Delight.
The thief's thoughts wandered to his female apprentices, or "assistants" as he called them in public. The women were all former slaves that had been forced into prostitution. Tarek had gained ownership of them through the actions of Chi and Garrote after their wild night on the town. Having a personal aversion to slavery from his time as a thrall under the Skandiks of Ossuary Tarek had offered the ladies their freedom and coin to get home or to join him and become his personal bodyguards and gang. To the last the ladies all agreed to join Tarek, and he set them up as the staff of Treasures & Secrets in Modron. After all a pretty woman with the right skills and knowledge could almost always command a higher price for merchandise being sold and lower one for goods being purchased.
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| Brother Beavis. |
Just then Beavis entered the White Horse with a Gish harem girl on each arm. "Tarek! there you are. Thank Losborst I need your help." The good cleric made his way to his friend, "Look what our comrades have rescued from the foul depths of the manor!"
The two girls rushed to Tarek and knelt at his feet while uttering his name repeatedly in thick accents. It was obvious his name was the only Tharbrian they knew. Beavis went on to explain how the party had saved the two women from an ensorcelled harem and then opted to send them back to town.
"Will you be going back to the others then?" asked Tarek.
"No, it is not Losborst's will for me to return to the manor at this time. I have been tasked to send Chi and Garrote back with the wagon before dark, a task which I must hurriedly accomplish. Please do take care of these charges and be aware of the treatment they will have suffered while trapped in that cursed place."
Doing his best hurt and offended face Tarek protested, "What do you think I would do? You know I can be trusted, besides I'm having the beginings of an idea." Looking up from the girls Tarek scans the room, "Any idea when Marcus is due back?"
The following morn saw the tavern door wing open and the sweet seaside air announced a familiar face. "Tarek, my friend! I hear you are looking for me." The Gish merchant smiled widely and strode to join Tarek and break his fast.
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| Marcus the decent. |
The thief noted how luck again was on his side and through bites of honeyed bread said, "Marcus, I have a business proposition for you."
Taking a seat Marcus looked Tarek in the eyes and said, "My friend, before we go further, I must know if this opportunity will involve my villa. It is now almost fully repaired from that "incident" and I must protect my property against further possibility of damages both mundane and magical in nature!"
"Of course not, besides I had no hand in that debacle. It was the thrice cursed Alexander and his foul magics that brought on the calamity." Spitting on the floor, "Good riddance too, may he and his patron burn in many hells - after I send him there that is!"
"Good, so what then is this proposition you have for a simple merchant such as myself?" The Gish winked and drank some watered wine.
Motioning to the former Gish slave girls eating nearby Tarek began, "First my comrades rescued these poor beautiful ladies from the Manor and I need them tutored quickly in Tharbrian. You see they and you play important roles in a scheme that I believe will make us both a bit of coin."
"My friend, I am not one to dabble in the skin trade if that is where you..."
"Marcus, no. There is no exploitation involved. I intent to provide 'honest' work for the girls - i want to expand my business in Modron, which is where you come in."
So Tarek then spells out his plan for setting up an import - export warehouse in the coastal village of Sunlitten. A place known for the unusual collection of oddities that was up on the shore there. Tareks employees will uncover and evaluate items of value which will then be sent by wagon to Modron for sale at the shop there. In the case of "special items" these can be smuggled in through the tunnels under the shop.
Tarek could see the Gish merchant running the numbers in his head and a moment later Marcus smiled, "Well my young friend, you have a deal! Let us drink copiously to it!!"
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| Sunlitten |
By months end Tarek had procured an warehouse in Sunlitten from a group of fishermen that had fallen on lean times. As a bonus he secured the fishermen themselves as salvagers and promised to provide them with more reliable coin for the reclamation of the items from the shoreline than they had the potential to make fishing. Marcus was also able to bring Tareks bondsman Cyril to the coastal town where he would act as the thief's agent and overseer of business here. Cyril had a reputation as accomplished con-man and his skill with multiple languages would be useful here.
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| Cyril arrives. |
"Your request to meet you here couldn't have come at a better time. Let's just say there was a misunderstanding in Modron when a recent widower gave me her valuable jewelry." Cyril shifted his hood slightly to cover the almost healed bruising on his face.
"Gave you say?", laughed Tarek as he slapped Cyril on the shoulder, "The Nightwatch got a hold of you eh?"
"Aye, so what is this job you have for me so far from Modron?" The pair of men entered the renovated warehouse. "Is that fish I smell?"
Tarek expalined that Cyril would be in charge of a group of local salvage men that would scour the beaches each day and bring what they found to the warehouse. Then Cyril and the Gish girls would appraise the goods deciding what would be sent either openly or secretly to Modron while the rest were sent with Marcus for trade locally on the Merchants route. After some negotiation Cyril accepted the position and seemed quite happy with his percentage.
In the end Tarek felt good about the whole plan and everyone was getting a fair cut as well being able to easily cover what the guild in Modron would be owed. Upon returning to the White Horse, Tarek was very concerned that Beavis had received no sign or word from the group that had gone to the Manor. Despite his friends skills in combat, he began to fear the worst - what had happened? Had they been captured, or even worse been killed, again. To what horrors had Tyrrian and the others possibly succumbed.....
This post was written by: Shawn (Tarek)
Scribed by: Cire Elik
