The House of Carath Magnious was a magnificent one.

Unlike some of the others, there was genuine artistic integrity. In place of gold and jewels, there were marble statues and portraits. Most of them were of halflings, though a few were sculpted of notable humans. In particular, there was one to Suvvest the Great, which Carath kept in an out-of-the-way shrine.

Suvvest was portrayed as a tall man clad in fine clothes. He wore a steel helmet with a fin and motioned toward the distance. At his side was a sword, and in his hand was a book. At his feet were riches, left as offerings.

However, when Oresa had wanted to see it, Carath seemed more than a little reluctant. It seemed that Suvvest was a man held in high honor but not particularly liked. Sahshir found this to be a perplexing approach, to say the least.

"Why would you make a statue of a hero if you hold him in contempt?" asked Sahshir.

"It's all about appearances," said Carath. "Presenting a united front to all men and such. Still, I shouldn't say I hold Suvvest in contempt. I merely wouldn't want to live anywhere near him."

"Then surely he isn't a hero at all," said Oresa.

"Well, there are two kinds of heroes," said Carath. "The kind you admire because you want to be like them. And the kind you admire because you want to be them.

"Suvvest was, in his time, the richest, most powerful man in Sorn. He created his empire largely to satisfy his own ego. Most ambitious men achieve greatness through the pursuit of desires. It gives them an excuse to do nothing for the society they live in."

"And you don't?" asked Sahshir.

"Well, I'm not what you call an ambitious man," said Carath. "I was born into a role prepared for me. Most of what I've been doing is keeping and consolidating the gains my Father, Caris, passed down to me.

"Frankly, I should have moved to a nice manor in Antion years ago, if doing so wouldn't hurt those I employ. Unattended business interests don't last long in Sorn."

At that moment, an old servant entered. "Master Carath, the meal is prepared."

"Ah, yes, thank you, Maris," said Carath. "Come, let's not put my servant's efforts to waste. They are some very talented people."

And so they went.

The servants spoke politely to them, and Carath treated them respectfully. Sahshir marked this in Carath's favor, though he rarely said so kindly. Men ought to perform their duty without complaint or reward.

Now, however, they were eating a lovely meal. The sauces here looked different, though Sahshir would not know. Oresa and Carath were eating a satisfying meal. Sahshir was waiting until he could sit in private.

"Do you require anything, food or wine?" asked Carath.

"Calishans do not drink wine," said Sahshir. "Baltoth has forbidden it."

"Ah, of course, my apologies," said Carath. "Though I imagine the Goddess of Revelry has a few objections."

"I gather that Baltoth despises her," said Sahshir. "So it is of no concern. Tell me, is Nagos staying here?"

"Ah, yes, nice fellow. I'm afraid he's not here now," said Carath, having a servant pour him more coffee. "At any rate, Princess Oresa, I have set aside a wing where you and your entourage may stay. Likewise, I have the same for you, King Sahshir."

"And what of Tuor?" asked Sahshir.

"Yes," said Carath. "I had made the offer to him. However, he declined. He has some business with Kaba and means to stay at his residence for all the hospitality he will get.

"I expect they have some business together.

"I don't think he regarded me as his sort, to be honest. Sen often houses foreigners."

"What could the two want to speak about?" asked Oresa.

"Concern yourself with others only insofar as they affect your actions," said Sahshir. "Whether you acted rightly or wrongly is the standard by which you will be judged."

"I might know a thing or two about that, actually," said Carath. "Sen has been communicating with various sources in Eastern Kalthak for some years. He's become quite interested in your nation.

"Not to speak for him, but I expect the man is holding more of a grudge than he lets on.

"He lives to satiate his ego; it's why I cordially dislike the man." There was real hatred in that tone, however, though well hidden.

"You sound like it's more than cordial," said Sahshir.

"Well, one should never have a relationship that isn't cordial," said Carath with a shrug. "If you must put a knife in someone, best to do it for impersonal reasons. Don't do it and let one of their other enemies buy a knife from you.

"But this all looks pretty unpleasant.

"It was a remarkable bit of generaling that setup back on McShore. Splendid heroics, certainly worthy of being written down."

"I merely acted as duty demanded I do," said Sahshir. "If that is an achievement, it is only because men fail more than they should. Do you know what arrangements King Belosh made for himself?"

"I'm told he will be staying with House Suvvest," said Carath. "They are considered to be of a greater sort than us. And the way Belosh has portrayed things, Eastern Kalthak are rebels. Albeit ones who did the not start the revolution which they are continuing."

"We are not rebels," said Sahshir.

"In terms of sheer wealth," said Carath. "House Suvvest and West Kalthak have a fairly tidy trade agreement when there isn't a war on."

"Then why is Nagos staying with you?" asked Oresa. "I mean, no offense, but well-"

"It's no trouble," said Carath. "The question had also occurred to me when he made the arrangements. It turns out a cannonball took off Yugos Suvvest's arm in battle. Yugos was the head of the family, so, needless to say, he's not at all pleased with the peace.

"Nagos decided he'd rather not risk the man's hospitality.

"Still, House Suvvest is fading in power these days, anyway. Their primary stronghold is the Church of Coinfurth. The sooner someone breaks their power, the better everyone will be off."

"Then they are religious?" said Oresa. "I'd love to learn a bit about Coinfurth from them?"

"...Well, they embrace our lord's work with enthusiasm, I suppose," said Carath after a moment.

"Meaning they seek money, but not for Coinfurth?" guessed Sahshir.

"More or less," said Carath. "Coinfurth has some unique concepts of faith and is purely concerned with results. If you want to speak of theology, you're best off speaking with the Knights of the Coin. Would you care for some coffee, Princess?"

"Yes, please!" said Oresa.

Carath looked at Sahshir with worry. "And is there anything you would prefer to eat instead? You have not touched your food or drink?"

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"I'm afraid that I'm not in the habit of eating at banquets," said Sahshir. "A disease has disfigured my body, and it is unpleasant to look at."

"Ah, yes, well, I'll have some sent up to you later so you can eat in private," said Carath.

"Thank you," said Sahshir. "I will take the coffee.

"What have you and Nagos been discussing?"

Carath sat back in his seat. "Well, truth be told, he was asking for a loan."

"A loan?" asked Oresa.

"Yes, this messy business on McShore has left the whole place in ruins," said Carath. "A wholly unprofitable venture for all involved. It has to be rebuilt from the ground up. Nagos wants to take loans from several prominent merchants to fund the rebuilding."

"But why would he do that?" asked Oresa.

Sahshir opened his mouth to explain, then noticed Carath doing the same. Sahshir waved for him to speak. Carath smiled. "Simple enough, dear girl. So long as he is in debt, he'll have to pay us off over time. And so long as we have a very real income from the plantations, we'll have an incentive not to attack. I gather he's doing the same with several Dinis merchant families."

"So Nagos means to prevent war by making everyone invest in McShore?" mused Sahshir.

"Yes, rather brilliant," said Carath. "Few men will be willing to destroy a system if it provides a regular income. Of course, all this relies on the island becoming profitable. That may not happen. As a point of fact, the island hasn't made a profit in decades. Certainly, some individual men got rich, but most planters were heavily in debt.

"It's all very complicated, but the bottom line is that the system would have collapsed. It was only a question of who they'd take with them. You saved us a great deal of trouble by keeping us out of McShore.

"I doubt the soldiers we killed would say the same," noted Sahshir.

Carath went grim. "No, I suppose not.

"The whole system is dreadfully unfair, to be honest. It is all about exploitation and loopholes these days. I had to learn all that in the days of my grandfather, Cirithil Magnious." He motioned to the hearth. "They're on the wall over there."

Sahshir saw two pictures of the man, who looked like an older version of Carath. "What happened?"

"Well, Grandfather and Father were an old breed," said Carath. "All about honoring contracts in spirit and law. Father was too much of an old breed since he got cheated several times. I had to become rather ruthless at times to reclaim his holdings. That was when the enmity between House Kaba and myself got started.

"Sen's father, Andias, cheated Father using legal loopholes to avoid paying his dues. It nearly bankrupted us. And it was far from the worst thing the man ever did, a real brute that one—murder, extortion, brutality.

"Some say he even kept the company of vampires. He'd often purchase slaves and ship them off, but nobody saw them again.

"King Andoa keeps the vampires of House De Chevlon in line now; there are arrangements, you see. They pay people to let them drink from them, much as you or I might purchase food at the market. Or they use slaves.

"But vampires get a certain thrill from completely draining some people. Some of the really evil ones have purchased slaves to drain completely. That's where Andias' slaves were going. Especially since he tended to pick attractive slaves.

"He almost deserved what Sen did to him."

"And what was that?" asked Sahshir.

"Sen had his father declared insane and used it to seize control of his fortune," said Carath.

"Andias was confined to a dark room and starved to death inside. Sen didn't even bother with a funeral; he just threw his corpse in a ditch and left it at that. It was an unpopular choice, to say the least.

"In his defense, Andias was the worst person imaginable. He started out only the ordinary sort of bad. But then he got a little worse every day, so he eventually became a veritable devil. He regularly beat his wife, and his servants lived in constant terror of him. He broke the leg of Sen's younger brother at one point.

"Although he was always very kind to his dog, there was probably some good in him. Of course, Sen killed the dog in front of him, which I think was going too far. But I digress. Anyway, Andias only got really bad when he started purchasing artifacts to do with the Fish King. That and Amysta, as well as several other demonic powers."

"The Fish King?" asked Oresa. "You mean the God of the Unknown?"

"Yes," said Carath. "The Fish King was where he put most of his efforts. Andias had been calling in scholars to try to translate the Fish King's texts. Men kept being driven mad and killing themselves or hurting others. When they stopped agreeing to take Andias' money, Andias started blackmailing them.

"Then there were a series of murders that went through the city at that time. Nobody could prove anything. After Andias hung from a rope, they stopped. Coincidentally, Sen had several of his father's men convicted on minor charges and hung.

"Really, it did the whole city a favor.

"Sen is not a charming company. But he's far preferable to Andias. It's why he's been able to get away with so much. Or at least we believed so, though the recent fiasco with the Knights of the Coin-

"Ah, Garrick, you're here! What news!"

Sahshir flinched and turned to see Garrick Estov walking out of the shadows. The gray-skinned warrior always had his man-sized sword on him, though he set it by the door. Moving forward, he bowed. "King Sahshir, it has been some time."

"Yes, I observed your attempt on Kaba's life," said Sahshir. "Good work."

"Thank you," said Garrick. "Carath, I have gotten Finn and the others into the Headquarters. The Knights of the Coin are prepared if anyone comes after us."

"Excellent, we should be prepared when things come about," said Carath. "Are you going to investigate now?"

"Tomorrow," said Garrick. "There are several matters here to attend to."

"Investigate what?" asked Oresa.

"Several inconsistencies in the Church's numbers," said Garrick. "Traditionally, this kind of thing falls to the Knights of the Coin. Or it did until House Suvvest took control of the Church. We've been somewhat sidelined now.

"The wars we fought reduced our numbers. We were unable to perform all our duties. So it became necessary to have others begin analyzing numbers."

Sahshir suddenly had the feeling that something was happening here. And he needed to speak to Nagos about it quickly. Carath and Garrick could not be relied upon as impartial witnesses. Also, he was sick of watching other people eat. "This is fascinating, Lord Carath; however, I need to speak to Nagos about matters. Would you be offended if I went out to seek him?"

"Not at all; you are old friends," said Carath. "Garrick, lead these fine chaps around the city and see if you can help them find their friend."

"As you wish, Lord Magnious," said Garrick.

Soon enough, Garrick and Sahshir were making their way through the streets of Sorn. It was a well-built city, made of white stone in many places. Some areas were well-cleaned, others dirty. Garrick was leading them to a moderately urban area near the sea. The sea was quite beautiful, though the waters here seemed to have a greenish tinge.

Looking closer, Sahshir saw that the tinge came from a strange light.

"Why are you seeking Nagos?" asked Garrick suddenly.

"I am not a man who enjoys socializing," admitted Sahshir. "When I give a command, my servants obey because they know it is given for a reason. And, since you have walked in their company for some time, I thought I might ask you for advice."

"A wise policy," said Garrick. "Say nothing that could be taken as a promise. Speak at length while saying nothing. Be polite to all and be certain to praise the wealth of those whom you visit. Also, reward the servants generously.

"Above all, speak little."

"Why should I pay someone for performing their duty?" asked Sahshir flatly.

"It allows one to make contacts who can give information later," said Garrick.

"I reward men who perform their duty beyond expectations," said Sahshir. "Those who do the bare minimum are worthy of the minimum reward."

"I, um, I feel one ought to be nice to everyone," said Oresa, who had tagged along.

"Define 'nice,'" said Garrick.

"Kind, understanding, patient," said Oresa. "Not expect too much."

"If we do not expect great things from men, they will not achieve great things," replied Sahshir. "Where are you leading us?"

"To one of the major taverns, one which is pleasant but not of high class," said Garrick. He stopped by such an establishment. It showed an image of an elf singing upon it. "It seems one Nagos would be interested in, given his upbringing."

"So you don't know where he is," guessed Sahshir.

"No, however, if one analyzes what one knows, then one can quickly come to the truth," said Garrick. "If you do not reach the truth, you will be ready to adjust your plans.

"For instance..."

He opened the door and marched in. Sure enough, Nagos was sitting at a bar talking with a young woman with pink-dyed hair; what was her name again? She'd been an associate of Nagos during the war. Sahshir reflected she had somewhat strange eyes and decided not to press the matter. As they entered, Nagos looked up and ran toward him. "Hey, Sahshir!"

Sahshir nodded at them. "Nagos, you are looking well."

"Yes, well, I've been talking with people lately," said Nagos. "Sen has been hiring every person he can get his hands on who is literate. He's also funded schools to teach children to read and guarantees them a job."

"What kind of job?" asked Sahshir.

"Translating books, mostly, from one language to another," said Nagos. "He's expanded the size of the libraries in Sorn a lot. There are some other projects I probably shouldn't talk about here," said Nagos. "But a few of them have gone... strange. See that one over there." He motioned.

Sahshir saw an old man drinking heavily. He looked to Nagos for confirmation. "The old man?"

"He's twenty," said Nagos. "The research Kaba has had him doing gets to people. Look closer. Do you see any wrinkles or gray hairs on him?"

"No," said Sahshir.

"Right, it's his spirit that's gone old," said Nagos. "It happens in people who have seen way too much."

"Kaba had business with Tuor about something," mused Sahshir. "This may be worth investigating once we have more time."

"No need for that; I'll explain the whole thing when we have time," said Nagos. He looked to Oresa and offered her a hand. "Oh, hello, Oresa, it's been some time?"

"I am..." Oresa took it. "I'm Princess Oresa of Western Kalthak. You remember me?"

"Of course I do," said Nagos, "I remember everyone. How did becoming a Priestess of Baltoth go?"

"Oh, um, not well," said Oresa. "But I ended up as part of a party of adventurers and seeing a lot of interesting places."

"We ought to return to Lord Magnious' manor," said Garrick. "We have a great deal to discuss."

"Yes, you are right," said Sahshir. "Nagos, will you follow us? We should make plans for the negotiations."

"We probably should, Nagos," said the pink-haired girl. "There are some things we need to discuss. We can't talk to people all day."

"Fine, you win, Serna," said Nagos. "This dive was getting old anyway."

So her name was Serna? Sahshir made a mental note not to forget it again. Well, the group was back together, if nothing else.