npc inbox: sa-hareth + stairs of sighs

[groundrules]

NPC INBOX: SA-HARETH

Reach out to your (not-so-)favourite NPC here, putting their name in the comment header. Try to keep it to just quick text/audio/written exchanges or inquiries that can accept summarised answers, please!

CURRENTLY WITH THE PARTY

	THE MERCHANT username: raven master The patron saint of etiquette and the eastbound getaway expedition. Seems to largely trade information alongside wares. Appreciates spices, strategy and collaboration. Has an eerie and overly cautious manner. Committed. Defends the benefit of the many, to the detriment of the few.
	KARSA username: lady of the willow tree Sorceress, young (?). Employed by the Merchant and deferential to him. Talented but fiery and frequently impatient, intolerant of fools. She will get today's job done yesterday. Struggles to sympathise with men, objections and those who cannot absorb information quickly. Enchanted the group's translation devices.
	ASGEIRR The ghost of a scholar monk. Haunts the tattered execution cloak that the party stole from the La Rea bank in Sa-Hareth. Once a champion of equality and freedom, he faced ire for converting his followers against the regionally profitable trade of slavery. Soft-spoken but wise and just, slow to regain his strength. Will speak to those who visit his cloak in brief interludes. Favours necromancers.
	MAZYAR Charlatan, crook or wise man, Mazyar has worn all the names. Once an exceptionally skilled smuggler, now an equally apt tradesman and caravan master, allied with the Merchant. Less cryptic than his 'associate,' if more prone to riddles and keen on items with value.
	GHOST ARMY OF ARHA A maudlin, marauding and eerily fixated army led by the young lord Arha through the Stairs of Sighs. They seek to rescue Arha's oracle lover Hatisse from Taravast.
	OUHRSSON Guys, it's a bear.

SA-HARETH

	"HALTHAM" | ANURR username: Haltham | illiterate The undead warlord Anurr, previously posing as gentle-mannered giant Haltham. An embodiment of Sa-Hareth's cold storms and wind, who regained his territory from contender Unhalad with the inadvertent help of the party in Arc I. Frostily rational and amenable to some negotiation.
	THE (NOT-SO) GOOD PEOPLE From distressed locals to busy-bee merchants, guards, enchanters, tradesmen, politicians and looser-tongued courtesans — never underestimate the value of indiscretion in a citadel built on commerce, rumour and stubbornly choosing to ignore the expanding rule of the undead. Not every piece of gossip or legend's worth your time, but beggars can't be choosers.

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Comments

[pulvisetumbra]

I understand you proved remarkably collaborative in our recent endeavour. ( He finds the decency to wait. ) My congratulations.

I appreciate the outcome was not to Karsa's complete satisfaction, but I, unlike her, value effort. We are all making do.

[darkeststars]

[ oh, suddenly so cordial, are we. sure, he'll play for a bit. ]

But you were satisfied, I take it? [ not that he cares. ] Sadly, your associate was not as forthcoming as she could have been. Difficult to arrange a mission successfully for all parties without sufficient intelligence. But indeed, we are all 'making do'.

[pulvisetumbra]

You all made it out alive, reasonably unharmed, and with new comrades. Yes. I am satisfied. Karsa acted on the information available to her.

[darkeststars]

[ sardonic again for just a moment ] You're welcome.

I had informed you I intended to cooperate with your initiative. A Sith's word is his promise. [ of course, he was mostly there for his own reasons, and maybe the Merchant is aware of that if the man's really as knowledgeable as he claims. But if last night's success dovetails with the objectives of someone whose good opinion is useful at this juncture, then so much the better. ]

But I presume someone as busy as yourself has not contacted me after our little disagreement simply to offer congratulations.

[pulvisetumbra]

Of course. In as far as we may collaborate civilly and to success, I am happy to extend the wealth of my resources and hospitality to you, for what they are worth. This is only to communicate that.

[darkeststars]

Oh? Very well. [ he sounds vaguely amused ] I am quite willing to keep things civil as long as the same stipulation extends to you. But I imagine I have already made my point. [ maybe his little trick the other week worked or maybe it didn't, but if the man's been talking to Karsa, by now he's certainly had a firsthand witness report of Arche's capabilities. Good enough. ]

Your willingness to reconsider past positions is certainly admirable. [ and then he goes on dryly: ] I will look forward to assisting future ventures to remove our collective nuisance from your homeland.

[pulvisetumbra]

Then, we shall have nothing to dispute.

As for the mirror. Am I correct to believe your people were not responsible?

[darkeststars]

By the time our party reached the hold, the thing had seemingly already been smashed. And as you may expect, the culprit did not stick around. Those we rescued from aboard certainly had some interesting stories to tell about the thing.

[pulvisetumbra]

Although I can imagine... may I impose on asking what?

[darkeststars]

[ there's a second's pause, a weighing of options on the other end. Does he trust this guy enough to convey this information? Not really. Is it worth continuing to play nice anyhow? ....mmm, maybe. ]

Hm. It seemed to have some disturbing effects on memory. At least one of our rescuees knowledgeable in such things thought it might quite literally have been eating them. [ Fox is an... interesting human being, but seems a trained enough practitioner of -- whatever discipline he uses to be a useful reference, at least. ]

Ring any bells?

[pulvisetumbra]

...no. I don't expect — ( Click of his tongue, distracted. ) And these memories have returned?

[darkeststars]

Unclear, though certainly I note its power seemed dampened when we walked in to find it broken. I can make the rounds and collect this information, if you would find it useful. Though I wonder what interest you might have in such a thing? [ that he doesn't trust the old guy's motives probably goes without saying. Perhaps someone was hoping to use the artifact for some more benevolent application, but as far as Arche is concerned it seems better off broken. ]

[pulvisetumbra]

That mirror was intended for Unhalad's use. It is best that we understand it, to oppose him.

[darkeststars]

[ thoughtful hum ]

Very well. I'll be in touch with what information I can collect. Do any other inquiries come to mind?

[pulvisetumbra]

It would be valuable to know how they were summoned in. Your group proved... insufficiently armed with that knowledge.

I expect you will also have an insight into the specifics of their skill-base.

[darkeststars]

Hmm. All right. A question certainly concerning to all of us.

[ he's been assuming he was kidnapped here in the usual way -- knocked out and dropped off by starship -- but such a thing would certainly be very apparent to the locals, so if there have been no reports of strange flying vehicles for the Merchant to hear then... what could that mean?--... Unless those who brought him here were just very determinedly stealthy? But the potential questions this raises are troubling. ]

From what I've personally catalogued thus far, we're once again dealing with an eclectic group partially possessed of combat skills and in particular, most seeming to exhibit metaphysical training, or at least natural ability with such. Back home we would say that your warlord is selecting for Force-sensitives, and sensibly enough if he and his plan on eating our essence. [ sounding amused for a moment ] A Dashade relative, perhaps. I've identified very few common threads of talent... several of us seem adept with moving ourselves or objects through space, if anything, but far from all...

He seems to favor those with formal training, even scholarship, over simple latent power -- perhaps minds and memories are indeed another strong objective -- but this has not been universal either. I must conduct some interviews to learn the true extent of this new group's capabilities.

[pulvisetumbra]

Formal training, or sophisticated skill. Mature command. I would agree.

( Barring some differences that are acceptable positioned as statistical deviations. He is not dissatisfied with the interpretation. )

I would be materially grateful for a summary of your results.