Swindled

Again, I must question the sanity of this realm. The group I took up with has contacts with a certain magical trader by the name of Xendros who is… a fool truthfully. Tell me thief who insists on stealing my private pages, have you ever encountered someone who makes bad deals? Someone who is just begging to be robbed? Xendros would be the perfect target for you. When I first met her I thought her to be a savvy businesswoman who engaged in the mystic like myself. I had thought a trade of information might suffice for magical goods instead of their coin and offer up five questions about the City of Brass. Free information about the largest trade center in the oldest city to exist in all the realms and what does this cur decide to ask me? My true name! Imagine for a moment thief that you are offering your services, FOR FREE, to rob someone, anyone at all. Certainly if you can steal from me undetected you must be of immense skill and rather than ask you to rob the king or some high profile Nobel, they ask you to rob a peasant’s home. Would you not be insulted?! Does she not think that I would know why she wishes for my true name? That I am ignorant of such matters? She could have had information worth thousands of gold coins, perhaps even a few soul coins if she played her cards right, and instead she asks for my true name like a backwater dolt.
 
Naturally I decided to give part of it to her. My soul and mind are of no use once I’m without body and an incomplete vocal incantation isn’t worth much by itself. Her response? Producing a contract in foreign script and asking me to sign. Two can play at that game Xendros. I signed with a deep flourish and suitable penmanship; I even did it in my native tongue which should take her some time to decipher. “Stupid Bitch” should be a good signature for someone who throws away the chance to gain free information in exchange for something so pathetic as a soul. Would you like to hear the best part of this thief? She doesn’t even pause and takes the contract as if she’s won anything more than wasted parchment and ink. Serves her right. Our second encounter didn’t go much better. I was searching for an item to defend myself in combat and she produces a strange stone. She claims that it is worth 5,000 gold and can “help solve my problem”. I ask what it does and she describes its color and appearance. I ask exactly for its function and she dodges the question again. She didn’t know. How can you sell something for 5,000 gold and not know what it does, tell that to your buyer, and still expect them to pay anything more than ten silver?! Why, I expect that she could have sold a plain crystal and claimed it had “healing properties” and someone in this town would have still bought it. For some reason the Kobalt decided that he wanted it and spent 2,000 gold on the item. Later I learned it was an Ioun stone so certainly not worthless but 2,000 gp? Hit it hard enough with a medium spell and it disintegrates into nothing. Oh well, your head should be disintegrating to nothing soon for yet again stealing my private journal pages so at least there is some comfort to things. I will say it was very amusing to watch Xendros tuck her tail between her legs and run the moment she heard of spiders within the city sewers. What kind of trader doesn’t utilize the underground to transport illegal contraband? Maybe you can enlighten me thief, provided you’re still in one piece and ever decide to show your face.