The Dark Trade Consortium

World of Rynaga Travelogue

Silentwood Forest, Veratar

It’s been more than two weeks since I wrote last. My messages have been, delayed. Arcan and I rode from Quena east across the Igwaza Preserve and over the Igrun River into Silentwood Forest. Our search began here for the home of Dain and Vesena Turien. We found trouble instead.

I mentioned in a recent message the presence of Dark Trader activity reported in the region. Well, we met a few of them on the road, asked one too many questions and found ourselves ambushed an hour later by mercenaries hired by the traders!

Now, Arcan and I can handle ourselves well enough in a fight, but it’s a rare fool who thinks to take on a Kirzan merc clad in rootstone armor, let alone four! So far, we’ve spent two weeks as “guests” (sarcastic air quotes) at a secret hideout. The camp appears to be overseen by the Dark Trade Consortium, a collection of smugglers and thieves working together under the guise of a legal entity.

“For a couple of travelers on the road, you ask a lot of questions,” said one of the guards. “We did not want to detain you, but our employers have enough coin and are quite suspicious. It’s nothing personal of course. They just thought you might be scouts out of Quena working for the magistrate. Only a few more days and we’ll release you. The traders will be far from here by then.”

“Well, we’re not scouts, spies or Shrieves (kinda like police) of any sort,” Arcan replied. “We’re looking for a companion of ours who lives in these parts.”

The Kirzan grunted, raised an eyebrow and looked over at his colleague. “Searching for a friend aye? Would his name happen to be Dain?” The guard looked somewhat threatening at the mention of the name.

I spoke up quickly, “No, her name is Saycia,” I lied.

The Kirzan laughed, “Good, because any friend of Dain Turien would mean more Qu (money) for us and fair game for a painful brand of interrogation at the hands of our employers. He’s on the run from the Consortium and it’s well he should be, the skarl (a word for scoundrel here)! When we find him, he’ll meet his end if he resists.”

Later before falling asleep, Arcan whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “I think we better find Dain before these guys do.”

–Eric