A Simple Trade
| MIN LEVEL | START LOCATION | START REQUIREMENTS |
|---|---|---|
| 947 | Xanlin Plain (Range) (17, 12) | SK II Medallion (Complete Cut above the Rest) |
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DetailsNestled behind a low ridge of rock you find a group of tents clustered around a friendly fire. As you approach, several men rise from the fire and approach with swords drawn. 'What you want?' You clear your throat and ask for Nathon. One of the men steps forward. 'I'm Nathon, can you prove that you're from SK Acquisitions?' You hand over your SK Seal. Nathon nods, 'Sorry, you must be new.' He gives it back to you, 'Alright, come and warm yourself by the fire and we can talk some more. You receive 1 x SK II Medallion The fire is warm and comforting. Someone hands you a bowel of stew and and a mug of ale. As you are finishing the warm meal Nathon sits down next to you. 'I suppose I should tell you what is required. We are Traders from Karthak City. We need to get a relationship with the Kutubu, only they are not listening. They only want to sell us painted beads. Now beads are all very well, but its not going to make our fortune. The Kutubu like to make friends before they will Trade. But I'm not particularly patient. So we need to push the trade progress along a bit.' He hands you you a scroll, 'Your contract is to go get us a some Kutubu merchandise. The first is the Kutubu Long Bow. Come back when you have one.' You receive 1 x Kutubu Long Bow Recipe You return to the Trader Camp, Nathon greets you with a toothy grin. 'You got that Kutubu Long Bow? He takes and looks down the bow line. 'Mmmm, good and straight. I would bet this could actually shoot! You have done well. I've been told that SK Acquisitions were a firm who could get things done for the right price.' 'Right, we have to go deeper into the Kutubu Lands. We will not go far, just to be sure we do not bite off more than we can chew. We will meet you in the Rise. As you enter the Rise, you hear far off war cries. As you draw closer to the sounds of battle, you discover a Caravan under attack by a small band of Kutubu Spearmen. You draw your weapon and join the fray. The battle does not last long, the Kutubu seem reluctant to fight to the death. When it becomes obvious that they will suffer high casualty rates they back off. Nathon jumps out of the Caravan and greets you. 'Thanks for the help. But they will be back. We need to press the advantage. Go kill 150 Kutubu Spearmen, and see if you can get one of their spears whilst your at it.' Nathon is helping another man fix a broken wheel on the Caravan when you return. He looks up from his work, 'You got rid of those Kutubu Spearmen and taken one of their spears?' Nathon looks at the long spear, 'This is a wicked thing isn't it?' He turns and stows the spear in the Caravan. 'Right, we are nearly there. The Kubutu live in the Hill country, but the tribe takes the whole ridge as their own. Damn greedy if you ask me.' Anyway, we just need to get to the Vale, then we can get what we came for. Meet you there. You find the Traders Caravan sitting calmly on the Vale overlooking the Plains below. Nathon waves to you. Although Nathon appears confident, you see his eyes dart at any sudden movement. He is wound up like a spring. 'Well – we got here. Few ever do, and they are old men by that time. But we showed them. Now, all we need to do is to get some Kubutu Totem Staff then make a run for it. The spell weavers pay a pretty penny for that Staff I can tell you.' He gives you a sideways glance, 'Be quick now. I don't like this silence. The sooner we get that Staff, the sooner we can get out of here.' The Kutubu have fought you bitterly for every step you have taken. Until now. Now they give you a wide birth, unwilling to be even near you. Then you feel eyes boring into you. Turning – you see an Wise Woman in Shamistic dress. There is a knowing air about this woman. She looks at you with cold, intelligent eyes. 'You are here looking for something. What is it?' Her words are clipped, you see rage edging them. Taking a deep breath you say that you are with a Trader. You are only here to get a Totem Staff for a client. The Old Woman tilts her head, like a cat who is playing with a mouse she is about to kill. 'Oh, is that all. You only seek our ancient power handed down to us over the generations. Power that we take almost a lifetime to learn and harness. Is this the power you think we will simply hand over to you for a fee?' Her words weave a tapestry of time and honor. Something that you are trampling for mere profit. Guilt stabs you, sharp and sudden in you gut. You repeat slowly and with much less certainty that it is only a trade for goods that you have been sent here. Her gaze bores into you, you feel she is sifting through you somehow. She tuts suddenly, and surprises you with smile. 'I sense you are simply walking the path. Our Warriors have told of a fighter of savage power walking our lands. Now that I meet you, I see something... different.' She shifts from one foot to another, 'You have split much blood, but maybe it needed to be shed. Strength comes from testing, it's how we deal with that testing that is important as it shapes us for what we must face - next.' The Old Womans words echo strangely within you, it makes you feel uncomfortable. She ignores your discomfort and carries on relentlessly, 'I see that the testing is not over, for either of us. You are looking for our Totem Staff. Well there shall be no trade for our ancestral knowledge. What price can buy wisdom that shapes our very being? But, the testing must go on. I see you walking into darkness to snuff out the light that rests there. If you follow that path, you must not turn from it. You must walk onward and you will shake the very foundations of the Realm.' She then hands you an old scroll, 'I fear that this testing will leave scars on us both. Just – all I ask is that you keep some secrets to yourself. It is the simplest knowledge that is always the most potent.' She pats your arm fondly, then turns and walks sadly away. You receive 1 x Kubutu Totem Staff Recipe Nathon sits down sunning himself by the wheel of the caravan, 'I dunno what is going on, but the Kubutu have seem to have given up. They are completely ignoring us, something is wrong but I'm not going to complain. Have you got that Kubutu Shamanic Totem? As soon as you get it we can leave.' He looks down at the Runed Staff, 'It looks more savage than I imagined. All those runes painted on it. Better handle it carefully, don't want that being rubbed off.' Nathon stands staring at the powerful item resting in his hands. Then a deep boom sounds and his head snaps up, 'What in all the Realms was that!' He places the Totem Staff carefully in the Caravan. Then another crashing sound of something clawing out from the earth ripples beneath your feet. 'We will get the Caravan set to go, you see what that is. We'll be ready to go when you return, just don't take too long.' The massive boom seemed to come from the very center of the Realm, you should check it out. You find a cave that seems to eat into the very roots of the Hills. Within the Darkness you see a dim light. You find the Wise Woman standing in the Dark holding a torch, shivering in the cold. 'So, you have come. I did try to quieten the Rock Ancestor, but with the spilling of our blood his rage has been roused. You will have to defeat him to get out of here alive. Such deep rage he has, if you succeed leave as fast as you can.' You must defeat the Aspect of Rock (Elite) or he will destroy the Caravan before you can leave. The Caravan is packed and ready. Nathon pokes his head out the back, 'What was that huge boom?' The words of the Wise Woman rings in your ears, '...all I ask is that you keep some secrets to yourself. Its is the simplest knowledge that is always the most potent...' You turn to Nathon and say, 'It was just some movement of Rock underground. Our only worry is angry Kutubu, get's go.' Nathon grins at you and pats the items stowed safely next to him. 'We got a much better haul than I ever dreamed we would get. But you're right, let them worry about their own ground shakes. We got what we need.' You receive 16,463,638 Xp |
