A History Through Blood

Since their visit to Cairo, the status quo with-in the pilgrim convoy had changed. While many of the travelers were from Military or Political families, the merchant families usually held the most sway as they had established connections that spanned centuries of cross-Saharan trading and multiple successful trips to Mecca. Modibo and his family were no longer relegated to the rear of the group, lumped in with the less influential and military families. Now he rode with the more elite members, making connections with people he would not have thought possible months prior.

This change in fortune had not gone unnoticed, as Chiekh and his jealous wife silently fumed about his rising status. The carts of treasure, guarded by newly hired mercenaries, only served to stoke the flames of their jealousy. Sadly, the shock of seeing two men being brutally killed in front of them had worn off, leaving Tidjani with the false impression that he could've beaten the sphinx's challenge, if he had been given the chance. On several instances he had been caught trying to pilfer both his own and Victoria's wagons, trying to claim ownership over something that was "owed to him" for denying him a "far greater prize." Leo's rough threats of amputation, taken from the Holy Qur'an, stopped his antics in the short term and only served to increase his animosity.

Unlike his own family, Victoria had opted to remain at the rear as she preferred the company of warriors. As she did not need to maintain or create any long-lasting social connections, she could enjoy the far more lively conversations of seasoned veterans than the somewhat drab ones afforded by a wealthy and insulated lifestyle. Most people did not notice her increase in wealth, probably assuming that she had merely stocked up in Cairo. At least, that is how many perceived it. At some point during her stay in the capital, Victoria had managed to exchange the cursed items from the sale for three enchanted items. He and Baru had been made privy to the knowledge as a courtesy, letting them know that they were safe from any malevolent forces.

What she had received was arguably far greater than a random assortment of trinkets she had taken from the large cache. The first one gave a minor blessing to any nearby objects, slowing the rate of decay for anything thing in a circular field around it. When she was transporting valuable medicinal herbs, fresh produce and general goods, this was highly valuable. Insects, and their larvae, would also be repelled for a brief period and kept them far long than could be expected. If the others had known about it, many would try and acquire it as spoilage was a common cause for losses in trade.

The other two were similarly subtle. One provided perceptual obfuscation onto whatever it was attached to, although it's effects greatly diminished when used in conjunction with larger objects or living creatures. The last blessing appeared to lighten the load of whatever item, or person, it was attached to. At least, that was how Victoria understood it. Supposedly it could allow one to fall from great heights and not buckle due to the impact. Each one useful in their own ways, doubly so when transporting suspicious or illegal cargo. Not that she would openly practice in it. She did however appreciate it's worth as cultural customs can vary between nations, not to mention legality.

Strangely, Victoria was far more quiet than usual. It was subtle, mostly minute delays when responding to things and asking her bodyguard to do slightly more than normal. She probably had encountered something during her nightly walks and could not properly assess it in the temporary encampments. Yarra, would occasionally try and converse with the foreign woman, only to be politely let down by her translator.

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It had taken a week, but the caravan had arrived at a town where they could all get their own separate lodgings. Kahina had not been privy as to how Victoria had found the problematic item, but treated it with the same cautious apprehension that any such object would hold. It was a golden oil lamp, ornately decorated and inscribed. Surrounding the lid was a series of stars, placed evenly around the opening with the handle covering the spot where the fifth star would have been engraved. On the main body; carefully carved irises were decoratively placed in flowing patterns with birds flying between the stems. While the base contained scriptural writings that referenced a place held by the people of Iram**, it appeared to function more as decoration as opposed to part of a supernatural inscription.

Putting aside the mystical energy that Victoria felt, it was not what her primary concerns lay. Usually, an artistic item such as this would have a maker's mark, something which denoted who created it. However, nowhere on the surface was such a mark present. Maybe it was covered by the grime and sand from where it had been recovered, but they could not locate it after multiple inspections. The closest they found was a message, translated to "The property of the United Court of the Tainted." Neither had heard of such a court, nor was it present in the local nations or clans that resided the surrounding regions. A masterpiece with no attribution to the creator was highly suspect.

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"This lamp is likely to be containing a powerful entity," advised Victoria. "The transcribed seals are too powerful, and the iconography is too vivid to be wasted on a lesser being with little power. Cleaning or interacting with the vessel might unleash whatever was contained inside, although that could be by design." "So, it's a trap then?" Asked Leo, already mentally preparing for the inevitable hassle such a thing would cause. "I don't know." Was the only response she could give. "Why would one leave a seal creature in the middle of the desert without protection for decades or centuries, at least based on the layers of sand remaining on its surface. If it required surveillance, it would have other protective enchantments or guardians. It is all too strange, almost as if it was left there to meddle in mortal affairs."

"So, if you are unsure why are you hanging onto it?" Asked Kahina, raising the obvious question. "Normally, you would leave it alone and not get involved." "You are right." Victoria acknowledged. "However, leaving it out in the open unchecked is equally dangerous. Imagine someone like Tidjani unleashing a creature of immense power, if there was a curse which bound the soul to him it could be disastrous to the region." If the creature were indeed a spirit of some importance, the idea that the spoiled child could command such power was indeed a horrifying concept.

"What it gets down to, is that we don't have the information needed to properly deal with it." Surmised Leo, quickly latching onto what his partner was contemplating. "I vote we trigger it, at least we get information and can prevent idiots from summoning disasters out in the open." Kahina likewise lent on them being the ones to trigger it. The nightmare scenario was for it to get unleashed while someone was pilfering their wagon, dragging the blissfully unaware into their current situation. What little they knew about the oil lamp was unusable, as any context surrounding the item was lost on them. Folding to the principle of the lesser of two evils, Victoria rubbed the remaining dirt from the lamp top, revealing the intricate pattern work on the top of the lamp and activating the seal.

A thin mist of green slowly poured from the lamp's opening, having been released by Victoria's cleaning, rapidly forming a small typhoon as the gas formed into a single body. "Well, hello ladies and gentlemen. Oh boy, are we going to have here fun tonight." Exclaimed the figure, who began to stretch his humanoid body in almost impossible contortions. "I tell you, a hundred years in that old prison can do a wonder on your back. Let me just stretch out the ol' spine here." He looked almost human, save for the lime-green skin and pointed ears. The same green energy seemed to leak from his body, vanishing to the night's air. Even is facial hair and ponytail had the same wispy appearance that extended onto his clothes and turban. "You cannot do that in a lamp. Ah, much better. Now where were we? That's right! You unleashed me from that little lamp there."

It took a few moments for Kahina to realize that he was speaking English and not Arabic, although she was not sure as to how he knew. "Silent crowd, are we? Surprised that old Moujik can speak the tongue of the foreigners? There are many things which may surprise you. But let's not dwell on that." Kahina listened to the strange man's gleeful babbling as he continued to move his body. "Excuse me." Kahina asked, interrupting his flow. "But who exactly are you?"

"Oh, right. I've been locked in that little ol' thing that I forgot my manners. My name is Moujik-Term, Moujik is fine. I was once a powerful Djinn, but that is getting off-topic." His statement trailed off as he sat down in one of the wicker chairs in the corner of the room, summoning a bottle of liquor and a goblet from the air. Leo shot an apprehensive glance towards his contractor, knowing the type of chaos the talkative ones can bring. In this particular case he likely held the power to back up his mouth.

"Here is the deal, the game, the challenge, if you will." Moujik declared, already moving the conversation towards his goal. "For releasing me from that prison I will grant you three wishes between the three of you. That means no cheating if you catch my drift. If I can grant it, it is yours. I mean, I cannot change the very fiber of the universe... but I can at least bring you hordes of gold, power beyond your dreams and an immortal body. That might be appealing to two of you, maybe not the Vampire there. She seems to have that one already covered, isn't that right sweetie?" As he said that, he gave a mocking laugh and rocked back and forth on his chair. He wasn't crazy by any stretch of the imagination, rather he seemed to find the entire encounter hilarious. Something which did not sit well with any of them, as it appeared that he was acting solely for his own amusement with no alternative motives.