Cade reached up to wipe the sweat from his brow. His cloak hung over his shoulder, held by his right arm. The noon’s sun hung high, and it beat down upon Cade as if he were the only man there.
“How could I have been so foolish?” He thought. “Thinking of the cold in Ebou Dar. Please! These people don’t know what cold is!”
Cade shook his head, and decided to look for a place to sit down and wait. The heat and humidity of the place was killing him, and his good black cloak and polished breastplate weren’t helping matters any. He paused in the street, and spied a small waiting bench by the edge of a canal. With a great sigh of relief, he threw his cloak onto the bench and quickly sat down. He reached down and splashed some water onto his hands, and ran them through his short, jet-black hair, cooling him down immediately. It was cool and relatively clean, and seemed to be a great blessing indeed. Cade sat a few minutes, lounging on the bench and observing the beautiful architecture. Most of the buildings were painted in light shades, or were simply made of pristine white stone, so as to reflect as much heat away from the city as possible.
After regaining his composure, Cade sat up and reached for his cloak. Behind him, he heard the sound of giggling. He quickly turned around and saw two small children, a young boy and a little girl, pointing and laughing at Cade’s black cloak. Cade frowned, but then broke, and a chuckle escaped his lips. It was pretty silly to have brought the cloak with him on this little outing. The children then began running and playing, turning their attention away from him. Cade was still smiling at the children’s running about when he heard a gruff voice from behind him.
“Headin’ fer the Rahad?” Cade turned and looked behind him. The ferryman was standing there in his small boat, his hand extended to Cade, and a few hardier looking characters had already stepped aboard. They certainly looked like they belonged in the Rahad, with all of the men wearing embroidered, slightly dirty, light-colored long vests without shirts. Distinctly different daggers of every type hung in their belts and sashes. The women wore snug-bodied dresses with long skirts, and had deep, narrowly-cut necklines to show off their marriage daggers, hanging between their breasts from chokers. They all wore hooped earrings and finger rings.
“Well?” snapped the ferryman, impatient with Cade’s observation of the rough crew that stood before him, “Ye comin’ or not?”
“Eh, why not?” Cade thought. “I have nothing better to do.”
“Yes, sir.” Cade said, as he rushed over to the impatient sailor, and hopped in the boat.
The ride across the mouth of the River Eldar was surprisingly pleasant, despite the looks Cade drew from the natives. “I just hope I don’t offend anybody,” Cade thought, “As I am rather unfamiliar with Ebou Dari customs, and the last thing I need to do is get into trouble here.” The wind was cooler out here then in the middle of the city, and Cade was almost disposed to remain on the ferry back. He paid the ferryman, and gave him a generous tip for his patience, and stepped carefully off of the boat into the Rahad. It was quite similar in design to the western half of the city, but everything just seemed dirtier.
“I should be okay here in the commons,” Cade thought, “These folks probably are less easily offended then the nobles.” Cade strolled down a few streets and took in the sights, but soon felt more uncomfortable. Duels seemed to be called out nearly every hour, and Cade realized that he may have made a mistake. He stepped into a small tavern, and decided to get a drink before continuing back toward the western side of the city.
Cade Bankrah
Adventurer, Ex-Bodyguard
Among the streets of Ebou Dar
