It's early morning. In your long travels, you find your way into the city of Dalasias nestled within the lavish neighborhood of Fa Ddai with a number of rare and expensive artifacts on your person. After inquiring around, many point you toward what almost looks like a palace on the edge of town; a wealthy merchant and slave trader that would take immense interest in the items you have resides there.

A little cautiously, you make your way toward the grandiose home, rapping upon the double doors now impeding your way, but you are only met with silence. Once more you knock, a bit louder this time using the heavy iron jackal knocker that almost seems to shake the wooden door as it rings out. Silence again.

You turn to leave, but not a moment too soon a small, timid woman answers your pleas to enter. While she is dressed in pricey garments of silk, you get the feeling she is not in a position of power here.

A-ah, are you here to see Master Taharka?.. She unnervedly wavers in Dalan. She doesn't seem to be very used to guests.

Without another word she pushes the door open wide enough for you to enter with her. What you are greeted to is no less than what you imagine kings to live like, with polished stone that gleams like gold and lavish rugs decorate the floor, all the way up to a tall staircase. Various other women and men scuttle around the residence, and you wonder just why it took so long to get an answer..

The woman that greeted you shows you to a cushy seat situated close to the door, and instructs you to sit. She bows briefly, asking no questions before darting up the staircase. Minutes later, she returns.

"Please take the staircase to the last room down the hall. Master Taharka will meet you there."

You do as she instructs, nodding toward her as you stand and leave. Heading upstairs, the heavy wooden doors at the end of the hallway are almost imposing...

Just inside the doors lay a wide, open room held up by shining pillars. A rug with a winding white embroidery leads you up to a chair surrounded by sheer drapes and heavy curtains; in the chair lazily sits a fairly young dark-haired Dalan man dressed in a silken saffron robe, flanked on one side by an imposing dark-skinned man, with another farther back peering out the large window at the back of the room.

His golden eyes catch yours lingering nervously upon the man immediately beside him, and speaks in a more heavily accented tone than the servant that let you in.

"Ah," his gaze shifts up toward the man toward his left momentarily, before fixing back onto you, "Elohim will bring you no harm so long as you cause me no problems."

Somehow, you don't feel entirely reassured.

As if to punctuate your feelings, the man called Elohim stares you down, his face neutral and unreadable.

He continues, a soft smile crossing his face upon seeing your continued discomfort.

"What business have you? Surely you haven't disturbed my meal to say hello? You don't look Dalan, after all, you must have come a long way for me -- Jaji says you have something to sell, or have you come to take a look at my more interesting wares? Under the table, so to speak, things you can't find elsewhere."

While your original intent was to sell, the promise of rarity has you curious...

Available Wares

Black Market Royalty Coat

Black Market Royalty Golden Wrap Choker

Merchants Ledger

Hanazaki

Yukisumi

Cloaked Sand Spirit Plushie

Cloak of Twilight

Baby Elf

Naphal

Golden Oni Decal

Symbolic Weights

Jeweled Box

Starlight Halo

Enchanted Rreign Scales

Ceremonial Skull

Aspersion

Historic Kumos Scrolls

Spring Sphinx Riddle Scroll

Basket of Lanterns

Stolen Aztec Coin

Adorned Box of Tribal Treasures

Non-Candy Coins

Ornate Jewelry Box

Old Family History Book

Eventide Chakram

Misery Lotus Anti Compact

Spilled Treasure Urn

Pilfered Silk Cushion Beanbag

Pilfered Ornate Decanter

Elwooden Crate

Abyss

Baroness Garnet Signet

Marquesa Rose Signet

Black Dale Fox Medallion

Saherimos Prayer Book

Tainted Scroll of Legend

Skeletal Warrior Replica Shield

Medieval Research Notes

Arcade Tokens

The Skeleton Vase

His interest piques as you sling the large pack from your back and begin rustling around inside. Hopefully you have something good enough to satiate the man.. you catch his gaze briefly, and he and the man beside him have their eyes trained on you as if you were prey.

You have in your bag a golden decorative box that you've been warned not to open, an urn from which a soft glow emits, a jar of shed dragon scales, a rare beaded bird skull and particularly close to your heart, a fragile porcelain bell.

Each item has history and significance, both monetarily and personally.

"I haven't got all day. Have you something to show me, or not?" The merchant impatiently snaps at you.

You should choose wisely, because you doubt you'll have a chance at a second impression..

From your bag, you pull out and offer to him the jewelled box, warning him that you were told not to open it. A curious look overcomes him as he inspects the container, seeming ambivalent toward it. You catch him carefully trying to nudge the top from the bottom, but to no avail.

"What do you take me for, a fool? Taking things from the dead..." Despite the accusation, his tone seems jovial as he hands the container back to you, continuing, "This is a burial box. It's probably cursed, now that it's left its owner's side. This will not stay in my house. I will, however, take it and ten silver if you want my people to dispose of it."

Now he's trying to get you to pay him to offload your own belongings? You stuff the box back into your bag.

"Thank you for the offer," you reply, "but I'll take my chances."

"May Vastava bring you peace when it comes for you. Do your next of kin a favor and do not leave them your cursed possessions."

His tone darkens, and his eyes narrow toward you, pointing toward the door.

"Now leave this place. I do not need curses of the dead invading my home. Everything needs to be cleansed now.. if you want to sell badly, see one of my associates in town." Visibly, he shivers and grimaces before you pick up and leave.

To think, a perfectly good sale ruined by superstition; perhaps you would go see his associates. After all, despite that, he did seem interested...

Carefully, you remove the small urn from your pack, explaining as you do what you've heard,

"As I've been told, the god Dalai himself blessed the water that once sat in this urn. It's said to have created water for hundreds of years and those that drank would be granted purity and longev--

He cuts in suddenly, taking the urn in his hand, "I'm aware of the legend. You do know where we are, correct? Claiming relics of Dalai with no proof in the heart of Dalasias is a good way to get yourself killed."

He turns it around in his hands, inspecting it closely inside and out. It does house a faint glow, and the inside of the urn still feels damp.

"Fifty silver," he confidently chimes while staring straight at you.

"Fifty? Fifty seems a little low, don't you think?"

"Forty silver." Again in that confident tone, though he audibly grows impatient. He eyes Elohim, who acknowledges him but simply folds his hands.

"You have no proof that it is genuine, and as Dalai resides now on the other side of the world, I sincerely doubt you have personally asked him, much less brought him along to verify..."

"So..." the previously silent Elohim speaks.

"...fifty silver," you repeat, feeling just a little strong-armed into the deal, but better to be fifty silver richer than to be here any longer.

The deal is conducted swiftly, with the other man at the back of the room bringing a sack of coin your way. You don't stop to count before collecting your things and leaving before this merchant decides he'd rather the urn for free.

As you bring the jar of dragon scales from your pack, Taharka's great interest shows on his face.

"Those are illegal, you know?"

You freeze up, but he just laughs.

"You really have no idea who I am. Let me see," he reaches for the jar and you place it in his waiting palms. Opening the lid, he takes one, two, three out to inspect them. "Whole ones! Very, very nice, very popular with apothecaries and mages! I'll not ask how you found yourself in possession of these. Either you're very brave, very stupid, or you've got awfully sticky fingers in places you ought not to have them in."

He seems impressed, and you let out a sheepish chuckle.

"Two silver per whole scale, partial scales complimentary. I've not the time to count all of these, but I'll offer you a sum of two hundred silver."

Your surprise is evident and it's apparent to him you weren't expecting so much for simple scales.

"Two hundred silver, then." Reaching your hand out to shake on it, he refrains, merely calling a name of the man in back to come take care of the transaction.

"Kamu!"

You contentedly leave the home with a heavier coin purse than you came in with. With this, your travels are funded for another month.

Fragile as it was, you take out the large skull mask. It's encrusted with beads and decorated with a grand crest of colorful feathers.

"Perakamyan, if I had to make a guess. Goods from the Perakamya territory don't often find their way to Dala, or anywhere else for that matter, for obvious reasons... most especially ceremonial sacrifices. I suspect this has the blood of someone involved..." he mentions, nonchalantly.

Come to think of it, you aren't sure where you got it. Wrangling things from the hands of the territorial mountain goddess Perakamya was nigh impossible, you've heard.