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>>3429568

"Lord Nedum is... not like his father," Captain Venkata says tactfully, stroking his mustache. He had expressed regret that servants of his liege would treat you so contemptuously, and offered to bring you back with the military barges - the only type of ships that were allowed unrestricted access through the entire canal system, unlike the civilian type that you used. On either side of you stretch the unending rows of tents and shacks of painted wood that explain their wares with illegible glyphs. A scene reminiscent of your trip on the Nile, though this ship is nothing like the palatial barge that you and Cleopatra undertook. Instead of palm-fronds waving in the pleasant coastal breeze, there is a mass of humanity here that stinks of spice and the sea.

And Captain Venkata is no Cleopatra.

"He was a reformer, I take it?" You ask, taking a gulp of the drink with the unpronounceable name. It tastes of mango and unrecognisable spices, and cools your throat as it goes down your gullet. A perfect drink for the heat-festering sunlit days of this country.

"A friend," the captain sighs. "To your father as well, Master Alexandros. A warm-hearted man, perhaps a little hot-tempered to be called wise, but what is a man without a little fire?"

"Oh yes, I am familiar with the type. Do you have more of these?" you ask, extending your empty cup.

"A very generous king, he was," the captain says without skipping a beat while refilling your goblet. "So generous that he undertook your father's unreasonable request despite the financial incentives to do otherwise. It is unfortunate that both your father and my king is now dead." He gives you a meaningful look, one that says "You know what I am talking about".

You don't know what he is talking about. "It took my men no end of troubles to gather the requested stores of urukku for his insane voyage to the east," he continues after the awkward silence. "Only with Lord Uthiyan's authority could we have gathered that large an amount of the item. It is a highly sought-after item, after all."

>>3429570

"Yes, very unfortunate," you say blandly. You're not sure what urukku might be, but you have a feeling that you would have to pay dearly for whatever it is. You shoot a questioning look at Micah, but his eyes are vacant, a sign that he is taking in new information. Something so sensitive that your father didn't even consult with his accountant? "What happened to the... things?" you ask.

"Impounded, I think, would be the best word here," the captain says. "All one hundred crates, enough to outfit an army. I do not know how Lord Nedum found out about it - maybe Lord Uthiyan told him before he died. Whatever the case, he immediately took the urukku-bars from the protection of my men when his father passed away, and placed it under the guard of the whoreson Hari. Ah, he is the head of the palace guards. The morons with red sashes, as you may remember."

"Your former king was indeed generous, if he kept a large cache of urukku from circulation just for a sea-captain." Veicht breathes out.

"Or very good friends," Micah adds wistfully. "He was very good at making them."

"A charming man," Venkata says, raising his goblet. "May he find Oblivion beyond the Wheel."

>>3429573

Bars. Outfitting armies. What was this part of India known for? What could this urukku be?

>Caesar had no interest in immersing himself with the inner politics of the court in this kingdom. After saying his goodbyes to the earnest army captain, he focused on readying his ship for departure.

>"Alright, fine, I admit it. I don't know what "oorookoo" is, and I was hoping you lot would be more helpful by dropping hints about the damned thing. Can someone please tell me in plain Greek what we're dealing with here?"

>"Yes, very unfortunate, as I said. What did you say this drink was called?"

>Custom [write-in]

>>3429575
>>"Alright, fine, I admit it. I don't know what "oorookoo" is, and I was hoping you lot would be more helpful by dropping hints about the damned thing. Can someone please tell me in plain Greek what we're dealing with here?"

>>3429575
>"Alright, fine, I admit it. I don't know what "oorookoo" is, and I was hoping you lot would be more helpful by dropping hints about the damned thing. Can someone please tell me in plain Greek what we're dealing with here?"

>>3429575
>"Alright, fine, I admit it. I don't know what "oorookoo" is, and I was hoping you lot would be more helpful by dropping hints about the damned thing. Can someone please tell me in plain Greek what we're dealing with here?"
Time to learn, I guess.

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>>3429578
>>3429585
>>3429586

>"Alright, fine, I admit it. I don't know what "oorookoo" is, and I was hoping you lot would be more helpful by dropping hints about the damned thing. Can someone please tell me in plain Greek what we're dealing with here?"
"You are your father's son!" the captain laughs. "I did not know him for long, but I will say this - you Greek are masters of the deadpan delivery. Hah! Coming all the way to Muziris without knowing about urukku, now I've heard everything! Like anyone would travel all the way here instead of the better pors like Ernakulam and Kozhikode."

Micah shakes his head. "We weren't planning on purchasing any this time, Captain. Truth be told, we would not have even made landing here, if we did not have certain trade goods that needed to be sold off very quickly."

His eyes widen. "But Master Landros would surely dropped by, if he was passing through. He was very insistent that we had to have them ready by the end of this year. Surely he mentioned this to you?"

"I was quite earnest when I said that I did not know what you were talking about, Captain Venkata," you speak. "Now come, do not keep your friend's son waiting, especially one who is so recently bereaved. What is this "oorookoo"? Why is it such a precious resource? And why did my father ask for it?"

"Hindu steel, Master Alexandros," he whispers, leaning forward conspiratorially, though there is no worry of being overheard, not in this canal between markets. "The Arab merchants from Damascus call it "wootz", for some Shiva-damned reason. It is the steel our ancestors forged the sword of Alexandros Basileus with, in return for his promise never to cross the sacred Indus again. Only the smith-caste know of the secrets of their creation, a secret they do not reveal even to the brahmins. And so it shall be until the end of their arts, for Tvastr has decreed it to be so."

>>3429667

>"And my father gave nothing in exchange? That sounds too fantastic to be true, which - if the few years of my adulthood has taught me properly - means it IS too fantastic to be true. What's the catch?"

>"Then it is a pity that it is out of our reach. Your new king does not sound like one to hold on to his father's promises from all the stories you have told me on this downriver voyage, Captain. Instead of lusting for things beyond our grasp, let us drink to sons who fulfill their fathers' legacies."

>"It sounds like we may be able to find a course of action that benefits us mutually, Captain. You are no fan of the new king, and I am not a fan of him sitting on my father's rightful cache of Damascus steel."

>"Seriously though, this drink is amazing. Do you think it would last a months-long voyage in the sea?"

>>3429668
>"And my father gave nothing in exchange? That sounds too fantastic to be true, which - if the few years of my adulthood has taught me properly - means it IS too fantastic to be true. What's the catch?"
But more subtle.

>>3429668
>>"It sounds like we may be able to find a course of action that benefits us mutually, Captain. You are no fan of the new king, and I am not a fan of him sitting on my father's rightful cache of Damascus steel."

>>3429668
>"It sounds like we may be able to find a course of action that benefits us mutually, Captain. You are no fan of the new king, and I am not a fan of him sitting on my father's rightful cache of fine steel."

>>3429668
>"And my father gave nothing in exchange? That sounds too fantastic to be true, which - if the few years of my adulthood has taught me properly - means it IS too fantastic to be true. What's the catch?"

Good ol' ties, it is as much a part of this quest as my rambling writings at this point ^^

>>3429668
>>"And my father gave nothing in exchange? That sounds too fantastic to be true, which - if the few years of my adulthood has taught me properly - means it IS too fantastic to be true. What's the catch?"

>>3433492
>>3430399
>>3429685
Right, we've got a slight majority, writing

Adamantium, Damascan steel, Wootz. The famed metal of the southern Hindus has many names and even more mythical properties attributed to them. From the shield of Perseus polished half to mirrorhood to the divine suit of armour forged by Vulcan for those that he favoured, all these items of renown and repute with even a hint of the magical otherness were attributed to this singular metal if singers and poets were to be believed. No doubt that they were for the most part exaggerations, the hyperbolic narratives of men with little need for proofs and a desire to instill wonder in the audience. And yet, there can be no smoke without fire. Wootz steel was, for all the falsely hyped rumours that surrounded the metal, indubitably of excellent quality. Perhaps even exceeding the ores of Iberia, which had supplied the foundries of Rome to forge sturdy gladii to outfit the legionaries with.

"A hundred crates," you say skeptically. "My father was a social man, but even for him that is a stretch."

"Well, it was not only with his easygoing friendliness that he earned my Lord's trust, to be sure," the crafty captain admits. "You see, the late Lord Uthiyan had many sons and daughters, yet none were fit to rule in his stead. The eldest, too hotheaded by half. The second eldest, found in bed with two of his sisters in too public a manner to be shushed down. The third was an incorrigible romantic, and went to become a hermit. You get the idea."

"And the fourth was..."

"The fourth is our current Lord Nemud, who managed to gather enough allies in the court to become the new king. Alack and alas, Lord Uthiyan is dead, may he find peace from the ever-turning Wheel," he answers, briefly touching his forehead with his fingers. "I say that while knowing that he does not rest easy in his marble mausoleum. Lord Uthiyan had the greatest love for all his children, no matter their character flaws. The first thing Lord Nemud did when his father died was to put his own siblings and half-siblings to the sword. All but one, and he is but a child."

A bloody regime change. And this captain managed to avoid that, despite fulfilling many of the criteria that would land him in the kill list himself. You may be relatively young in this new body of yours, but you are not a hatchling of seven days. The captain was almost certainly involved in this deadly courtly intrigue from the beginning, playing the game of kings with enough finesse to survive the ensuing purge despite coming from a lower caste in a traditionalist king's court. How did he make himself indispensable to the king while the royal siblings lived? You are not sure you like the answer to that question.

This is a man who wishes to live, and will go to great lengths to make certain he stays that way. Was it the fact that the last of the sons and daughters of his benefactor to be placed on the executor's block was a child that bothered his conscience, or did his motive originate from a baser place?

>>3434074

"You have not spoken of what my father offered in exchange for this generous gift," you prompt him.

"I was getting to that, Master Alexandros. I do not know how much your father told you of your destination. Indeed, I am not so sure I should be speaking with you, seeing as your father did not see fit to disclose to you this arrangement of his."

"He told me enough," you say guardedly. "I am his heir and the sole executor of his will. That will have to be enough."

"That will have to be," he agrees. "Very well, Shipmaster. Your father promised that he would bring back the Elixir of Immortality for the Archer King - which is to say, Lord Uthiyan - in exchange for urukku-bars. He was most certain that such an item existed in the mysterious east, where dragons are said to climb the skies and emperors reign for a day and a night before snuffing from the stress of governing such vast stretches of land. My former Lord wished the Elixir. Not for himself, mind, but to ensure that his children would not squander needlessly when he died. Fratricide is a terrible thing."

"A little late for that," you say drily, remembering a certain Augustus back home.

The captain sets his cup down gently. "Much too late. If only he had not stepped into the battlefield himself... I blame only myself in allowing him this folly. For all his benign policies, he was but a man in the end."

"The gods work in mysterious ways, Captain Venkata. It is not unheard of for them to abduct men and women of particular talents before they are able to perform their utmost."

"Spoken like a cleric," the captain chuckles. "You should have become a priest to serve in an Indian king's court instead of sailing around the world. Rough business, that. Do you plan to follow through with your father's journey?"

"That is still the plan," you reply. "My ship will head east after stocking up on provisions. It will only be a short stay on Muziris, I am afraid."

"Three days..." the captain looks thoughtful, staring at the glittering water-surface lapping against the underside curve of the barge. Discarded fruit peels tap against wood harmlessly, thrown away by careless pedestrians enjoying the day's shopping. "Yet that may be enough," he mutters more to himself than anyone else, then turns back to you. There is none of the friendly joviality in his features this time, and you see a steely determination glint in his dark eyes. The eyes of a military man about to make a risky endeavour. You finger your hand-crossbow uneasily, hidden beneath the folds of your right sleeve. Just in case.

"I have an offer to make, Master Alexandros. I believe it may be one that will be of mutual benefit."

>>3434079
--

The suggestion of the army captain was simple, if treasonous; assist him in deposing the newly-enthroned king, in return for the caches of Damascan steel that Caesar's father had negotiated for three years prior. Captain Venkata claimed that while he had many soldiers under his command, most of them were tied up in the border defences, embroiled in some sort of a proxy war involving local rebels on Chera territory funded by the neighbouring kingdoms. What few soldiers he brought with him to the capital on this occasion - "It was under the guise of giving the yearly report on the border wars," the captain said - was always watched by the crimson-sashed palace guards, who were loyal to a warrior-caste nobleman named Hari first and foremost. Here his soldiers were outnumbered in the den of the enemy. The private militiamen of foreign merchant-princes, however, were rarely deemed significant enough to worry about.

His plan was simple: Caesar's soldiers were unaccounted for, which meant that they would have something of an element of surprise if they were to appear into the equation. Captain Venkata wanted enough of the Crimson Sashes diverted from their watchful routines in the palace, at least enough to ease the observation placed on his own troops. How that was to come about, the captain would leave to him.

>Caesar, seeing an opportunity in testing out the strength of his newly-reformed legion within an urban backdrop, agreed to this temporary alliance. He would wreck havoc enough to mobilise the Crimson Sashes away from the palace, the precise method of which would need to be hammered out between his advisors.

>Caesar knew that cavalry formed a significant portion of his military strength. He suggested that it might be more productive to focus on the wide cereal-fields that stretch around the fertile seasonally-flooded farmlands around Muziris, putting defenseless farming villages to the torch and disrupting the local grain supply.

>Though he accepted Captain Venkata's request for assistance, he was uncertain of his chances in this undertaking. He thus sought the audiences of other major rogue traders currently docked in Muziris in order to augment his forces, for he knew that every captain worth his sea-salt carried contingents of marines, sometimes for not-so-legal situations.

>An unknown battleground, with little promise of actual support from Captain Venkata meant that Caesar saw nothing but uncertainties in this venture. He politely refused the captain's offer, and redoubled his efforts in preparing the ship for an egress from the silted docks of Muziris. He wished to be far away from this place before the civil war that seemed to be fomenting in this nation.

>Caesar then pulled the trigger of his hidden hand-crossbow, with the intent of wounding and capturing the treasonous captain to offer as a gift to the Archer King.

>Custom [write-in]

>>3434090
>Though he accepted Captain Venkata's request for assistance, he was uncertain of his chances in this undertaking. He thus sought the audiences of other major rogue traders currently docked in Muziris in order to augment his forces, for he knew that every captain worth his sea-salt carried contingents of marines, sometimes for not-so-legal situations.
>Caesar, seeing an opportunity in testing out the strength of his newly-reformed legion within an urban backdrop, agreed to this temporary alliance. He would wreck havoc enough to mobilise the Crimson Sashes away from the palace, the precise method of which would need to be hammered out between his advisors.

As much as burning farms would be effective, if Venkata plans to establish himself or another in power, the populi won't be happy with a faction which so readily burned their homes. Plus this might cause more systemic problems long term. Messing with food supplies aren't a good idea. Getting some extra marines as fodder ain't a bad idea either. Just have Venkata foot the bill.

>>3434090
>Caesar, seeing an opportunity in testing out the strength of his newly-reformed legion within an urban backdrop, agreed to this temporary alliance. He would wreck havoc enough to mobilise the Crimson Sashes away from the palace, the precise method of which would need to be hammered out between his advisors.
We've got to see if the new heavy infantry works as well as the old.

>>3434090
>Though he accepted Captain Venkata's request for assistance, he was uncertain of his chances in this undertaking. He thus sought the audiences of other major rogue traders currently docked in Muziris in order to augment his forces, for he knew that every captain worth his sea-salt carried contingents of marines, sometimes for not-so-legal situations.
Lure them with the thought that the new administration might offer them lucrative trade deals and lowered tariffs.

Shall I go with the combined option, or wait some more?

>>3436838
Combined is fine.

>>3436838
COMBINED

Merchants are at heart timid souls. They brave the deadly bosom of Oceanus and steel themselves against the depredation of pirates, their accountants coldly jotting down probabilities of their ships making it to the foreign ports and back carrying goods that may expire or even (heavens forbid) become out of fashion by the time they arrive in their destination. But suggest that they deviate from the route of acceptable losses, cross the boundary of risk-to-profit ratio, and they will shy away, regardless of the potential prize. Safety, security, certainty: these are the tenets of a merchantman.

For these reasons, Caesar was unsurprised that among the few captains of opportunity resting their weary ships in the offshore docks of Muziris (or at least, those with enough military forces under their command to be worth contacting) fewer yet were even willing to respond. Their reticence together with the ill-repute of your employer-house meant that any servant of the Harkonni had few friends and many enemies in the cargo-hauling business. The bloody-mindedness of the Harkonni trading dynasty was well-known among men of the waves, for many were the rival families they have destroyed through means insidious and brazen. Even their own employers were subject to the familial streak of cruelty that ran along the Greco-Suomic family.

That Landros was allowed free reign over his ship and his crew spoke to the trust given to him by the Harkonnen Patriarch, or at least of his indispensability.

An unseasonable gale brings lukewarm raindrops at the river-mouth of Muziris. Back in your ship and enjoying a nice meal of fish and more fish, you are reviewing the answers to your offer to the various captains. After returning to the ship, you had missives sent to major traders, inquiries to their interest on a dinner aboard the Ship, with mention of discussing business opportunities.

From the fifteen letters sent, only five answers return. Three of them are just insults, uncouth words scribbled detailing some grievance or other with the Harkonni. The other two are guarded in their interest, their curiosities peaked by the vague wordings of a potential market shift. Well, that is something to work on, at least.

"An Atreides?" You say thoughtfully, rubbing your finger over the ancient Danaan sigil of that house, proudly stamped on the letter's cover. That this is not one of the insult-filled letters is a surprise, to be sure; they were the fiercest rival to your father's employer-house. "Didn't we rebuff their demand for passage to India when we left Numante?"

Lynius shrugs. "This branch of the Atreidae probably does not know that. There are not many ships that will brave the journey all the way here, not with the wars in Parthia causing lawlessness in the coasts. We were safe only because pirates usually don't like tackling ships our size."

>>3438934

If you met up with the captain and failed to persuade them in this venture, they may constitute an intel leak. After all, any profit-minded trader would sell out the information that you were trying to gather an army.

>Caesar decided to hold an audience with the local Atreidae representative. Though a bitter rival of the Harkonni, the once-aristocratic house was known for its even-handed dealings with their business associates. More to the point, they were what your father's employers never was - men of their word. If he was able to earn their support, it was not likely they would go back on their promise.

>Caesar chose to speak with the captainness of the Radiant-Golden-Dawn-Fleet, a "Madame Tzi". Apparently the company name sounded much better in the original language. Lynius cautioned that she was a duplicitious woman, known for having inherited the merchant fleet from her last husband who died under mysterious circumstances. Still, she had the larger number of marines. The Sinae apparently preferred quantity over quality when it came to military matters.

>Caesar sent a letter confirming the date and time of the dinner to both of the captains. He was confident that he could form a... triumvirate of sorts.

>>3438935
>Caesar sent a letter confirming the date and time of the dinner to both of the captains. He was confident that he could form a... triumvirate of sorts.

>>3438935
>Caesar chose to speak with the captainness of the Radiant-Golden-Dawn-Fleet, a "Madame Tzi". Apparently the company name sounded much better in the original language. Lynius cautioned that she was a duplicitious woman, known for having inherited the merchant fleet from her last husband who died under mysterious circumstances. Still, she had the larger number of marines. The Sinae apparently preferred quantity over quality when it came to military matters.

>>3438935
>Caesar sent a letter confirming the date and time of the dinner to both of the captains. He was confident that he could form a... triumvirate of sorts.
And so we meet our first signs of Sinae.

>>3438935
>Caesar decided to hold an audience with the local Atreidae representative. Though a bitter rival of the Harkonni, the once-aristocratic house was known for its even-handed dealings with their business associates. More to the point, they were what your father's employers never was - men of their word. If he was able to earn their support, it was not likely they would go back on their promise.

This "Tzi" woman sounds a great deal like Ching Shih. Best not to get involved.

it's been three days. Fortuna is dead

Internet died yet again for multiple days. Starting to think running a quest is a cursed business. Or maybe 8 is my unlucky number?

As I promised before, I am still going to chug along. I'll be making a multi-part update today - should I continue here, or make yet another new thread for our unlucky Chapter 8?

All these interruptions are really messing with the flow -_-

>>3448610
>6 day old thread
Just make a new one I suppose. Nothing wrong with throwing another dead civ or one-poster off the board.

>>3448651
Third part of Chapter 8. Here's to hoping I can actually update throughout the week this time.