It was in late spring in the year 389AF. Fak'trar, the roulette
attendant in Shallam, sat morose in his tent in the Medina, dreaming of
what lay beyond the walls of Shallam. Finally, he decided it was time to
pack his things and travel outside the city he had called home since his
earliest days. Word of his desire to leave spread. Many Shallamese, such
as Logistics, tried to talk him out of his travels. Others such as
Celania encouraged him to follow his dreams.

Heading first to the mountainous island of Ulangi, Fak'trar visited with
the friendly grooks there for sometime. Occasionally happening upon
another travelling Shallamese, he would sit and chat for a while. A few
regaled him with tales of the pirate cove Mysia nearby. Fascinated,
Fak'trar, caught a ferry over to the pirates' haven and disappeared for
several years

Early Aeguary in 393 A.F. saw a strange sight flying into the Jewel of
the East. A parrot with broken plumage and a black eye-patch descended
into the main thoroughfare and deposited a glass bottle containing a
ransom note. The note demanded a sum of 100,000 gold to be given to the
parrot for the release of Fak'trar, the captors stating they had grown
bored with their captive. Before they could even consider the offer, the
bird quickly flew southeast back to its home, obviously ill-trained for
the mission on which it had been sent.

Swiftly, Fak'trar's citymates gathered a reconnaisance force to scope out
the pirate island of Mysia. The first on the scene was Tonbee, who found
and followed the parrot to the Dancing Dryad Tavern. Others soon arrived
and began interrogating the pirates on the island. Few clues were
available until Fak'trar yelled out for help. His yell was quickly
muffled by his captors. The residents of the island recognised the yell,
remembering him as a traveller who had made his home on the island for
some time.

Feeling celebratory, one of the kidnappers made the mistake of leaving
their secret hideaway to grab a bottle of rum and to boast of their soon
to be had wealth. As the drunk criminal left the tavern, he was cornered
by Varick and questioned extensively about Fak'trar's whereabouts. To
make matters worse for the slobbering drunk, the parrot decided to
return to its owner, revealing his identity. Chucking his precious
bottle of rum at the hapless bird in anger, the drunk dashed away
through the trees towards his hideout.

Now knowing he must be connected to Fak'trar's kidnapping, the
Shallamese force searched the woods. Slipping through a hole barely big
enough to wriggle through, Crunk found the secret hideout of the
would-be-rich pirates. Long negotiations ensued as the Shallamese
attempted to end the affair without bloodshed. However, the pirates had
grown bored with all the babble and attacked the Shallamese. Crunk,
having disarmed himself in a sign of peace, was the only casualty for
the Shallamese. The rest of the forces that had been waiting outside
rushed in and slaughtered the pirates.

Fak'trar, no longer in danger, freed himself from the shoddily tied
ropes and followed Crunk and the rest of the group back to Shallam and
safety. Once at the Silverdrop Inn with a drink in hand, Fak'trar
explained how he thought he had befriended the two pirates only to
discover their intentions were less than benign. His last words were
barely heard over the din of the Inn as he fell asleep: "It was only a
minor setback..."

Penned by my hand on the 22nd of Sarapin, in the year 394 AF.