Journey to the palace: day 1.
There I was in the swamps of the Sultai clan, just chilling and minding my own. Everyone else had abandoned the old Tarkir timeline, favoring the one where Slumdog and his brood of venomous dragons ruled the swamps. I prefer to not be hunted by those giant flying snakes. In fact, the only serpents I care to see are the naga. I've travelled all the way from New Phyrexia, where I was almost captured and turned into one of those horrible creatures. I was only on that plane to observe the native undead, the nim, but ol' Norny had to ruin my studies by sending a capture party of ugly metalheads my way. I have heard from a few outlander's in the nearby mountains that there is a palace in the deep of this swampy jungle called Quarsi, and that Sidisi, the most powerful necromancer this plane has to offer lives there. I only seek to learn more about raising ghouls from this woman Sidisi, but so far all I have learned is of the jungle creatures' ferocious appetite, having dispatched a horde of Hooting Mandrills among other would be predators with my
Shadow Slice
magic.I was told to follow a river called the Marang that runs from the mountains to the palace, but to beware of what dangers lie along it's banks.
Journey to the Palace: day 2.
It's morning in the swamp, the air is both hot and humid though no sun could pierce the canopy of the tall jungle trees. I hear the bestial calls of animals in the distance as the Marang river's murky waters gurgle along its muddy banks. As I trek my way to the palace, I hear the river splash, trees and shrubs shake, and twigs crack near me. I have the feeling I'm being watched. Or hunted. The eerie jungle didn't help my paranoia pass either, though I am a competent wizard on my own. I could tell I was getting closer to the palace of a necromancer, for the northbound breeze reeked of rotting flesh. A large wild man leaped out of the river at me, knife in hand and ready to claim his prey, but I crippled his mind and gave him a swift shadow slice to the throat with my dark magic. I am no easy prey.Miles farther down stream, I noticed a towering structure poking out of the treeline, I climbed a tree to get a better view, and there it was, the
Opulent Palace
I had been seeking. Little did I know there was a troupe of naga soldiers, Hiding at the bottom of the tree. The last words I heard before my feet touched the ground were "capture the intruder" rolling off the forked tongue of a serpent. After that I blacked out, with a sharp pain in my neck.
Journey to the Palace: day 3.
This morning I awoke tied up, and bound to the bars of a bamboo cage. I could free myself easily, if my hands weren't tied, but all I could do now was wait for someone to come tell me what was going on. As I hung from the roof of the cage, I could see the undead laborers in the palace move from job to job, leaving miscellaneous body parts lying around in the palace floor. After a long awaited opportunity to observe the zombies of this plane, A young, bald man, who looked as though the Dimir guild relocated to Kamigawa of something of the sort appeared out of nowhere. "caught by a troop of scouts, poisoned and drug through the swamp to my palace. How pitiful." he paused "Though I suppose a weak outsider like yourself should just consider themselves lucky they weren't captured by a rogue or a baboon the minute the set foot into this swamp"I was still being affected by whatever drug was injected into my neck, but managed to utter some gargled words "Your palace?, I was looking for Quarsi, and Sidisi, the tyrant of the Sultai clan." to which he replied "This is indeed Quarsi, but Sidisi does not rule the Sultai, I Taigam, rule over these swamps. what business do you have with my underling?". I felt another wave of unconsiousness coming over me. and with the beginning of my next sentence, i was out once more. When I woke up again, I was still tied up in my cage, but I had been moved to a dark room where green fires in the corners dimly illuminated the chamber with a tint of jade. there were rotting monkeys climbing all over the cage howling, screeching, and rattling the bars. Noticing that I was now unaffected by the poison, I looked around the room for a sign of life that wasn't trying to break into my cage and eat me alive. At the far end on a throne surrounded by piles of gleaming treasure sat a large serpentine figure. Not so much sat as maybe coiled around the throne. "HELLO!" I yelled out to the figure. The throne shook as the figure started uncoiling and moving toward me. "who are you, wretch, to disturb a sleeping queen? Where have you come from, and why are you in my throne room?" before I could answer the serpent's tail whipped at the cage, knocking most of the squealing monkeys off of the cage. "SILENCE!!!, you annoying beasts!!!". I answered as soon as possible as to not incur the wrath of whoever I just awoke. "My name is Yukanol. I am not of your world, but I seek to learn from it. I've travelled from a world called Earth to study the necromancy practices of different worlds." The serpent moved closer into the light, revealing it's face, covered in scales, and gaudy jewelery. the serpent had shorter fangs than some of the other similar Naga I've seen in my travels, and even in this palace. It's fingers were tipped with claws that could run a man through, and it smelled of the dead. "I have a hard time believing in your words, but you do not look like a native of this world. the way your armor was made is not reminiscent of any of the so called "warrior clans" we have fought against. In fact, you do not remind me of a warrior at all, you look rather weak." I explained that I was not a strong warrior, and that I relied on magic to get me through a battle, should I be unlucky enough to find myself in one. I explained that my armored cloak was made of darksteel, it was a gift from a group of mirran rebels I found while traveling on the plane of New Phyrexia, and that the metal shoulder piece was unbreakable by normal means. "I am Sidisi, the uncontested ruler of the Sultai, I would like to know more about this "unbreakable metal" it sounds like a vauable metal." I was puzzled by her words. "If you are Sidisi, then aren't you that man, Taigam's subordinate?, That's what he told me." this seemed to anger the naga greatly. "really?, that insolent human thinks he can just announce himself as anything but a lowly chore boy in comparison to me? He'll get thrown into the pits for that." and with that Sidisi slithered away. A while later a few other naga came to release me from my cage and bindings. I thanked them, but they ignored me.One motioned for me to follow his lead. I followed the serpent down numerous underground passages, noticing the different types of shackled zombies shambling through the palace chambers. "these dead men are what we call the sibsig, they are merely animated shells of their former selves that have bent to sidisi's will." said the naga in his hoarse, hissy way of speaking. at the end of the tunnel I say light, and when we got there, we were on a balcony overlooking a courtyard full of holes. The naga explained that beneath the ground was a duncgeon filled with zombified crocodiles and other beasts. after a whiles Sidisi slithered into the courtyard followed by four sibsig pushing a cart with a tied up naked bald man hung by a rope. "that's Taigam, his ambition finally caught up with him I see." the naga hissed.Sidisi stopped at one of the pits to address everone watching. "Let this be a reminder to all of you of what happens to those who believe that I am not the absolute ruler of these lands, and everything in them." she motioned the sibsig to push the cart over a pit, having Taigam dangle over the hole. Without a seecond to spare a crocodile rocketed out of the water, snapping up Taigam, and dragging him, the cart, and the sibsig down with it. There was no doubt in my mind that Sidisi was the ultimate ruler of the Sultai.
