JoS/Kanna/9th Journal - Twin Lamps

Frostfall, 16th, 3E 427

(By Karim)

I received summons from Caius Cosades for a special job he had for me. It surprised me, because this is the first time he's directly contacted me on this island. He also said that he's been very happy with everything I've done here so far, interviewed me for a while about any strange occurrences I've come across, but considering that I had no valuable information to give to him, we left it at that.

The actual job is regarding our fellow Blades member who's gone missing on a job, a woman who hasn't reported back to him. I first thought he was referring to Aliya since she's been out for a while, but while Caius is concerned about her whereabouts, this isn't about her.

Elone is the missing woman's name. She's a Redguard like me, a scout and an agent who alongside a Nord male named Sjorvar have been tasked in monitoring the smuggling rings and operations around the West Gash and Bitter Coast Regions. Elone's last report to Caius came a month ago regarding how one shipment of illegal goods she had been tracking had led her to a large slave-run plantation on the shores of lake Hairan, directly to the east of Pelagiad. This plantation in question is the Dren Plantation, one of the biggest centers of operation for Camonna Tong.

Caius tried to warn her to not get close to that place, but it might've fell on deaf ears. It's not like her to not report back to Caius regularly, or so he says, so she's most likely in some kind of trouble. Or she's dead. One or another. There aren't too many Caius can trust with this mission, but he says that I'm perhaps the best warrior he has at his disposal, based on what he's heard from me. That's why, he wants me to infiltrate this plantation, find out what happened to her, and save her if I can.

To get help on this mission I should first contact someone called Sterdecan, a good friend of Caius; not a member of the Blades, but rather a faction called the Twin Lamps. They're abolitionists who help slaves escape their masters on this island. A noble mission if you ask me. This dude can help me and provide me with information.

This'll without a doubt be a difficult mission, and probably a long one too. I can't risk to endanger Kanna by bringing her along with me, so she'll stay home. She's saying she wants to do some work and traveling independently. Fine I guess, as long as she doesn't do anything stupid. I know she's grown to be strong-willed and capable of defending herself if need be.

Frostfall, 17th, 3E 427

(By Karim)

Sterdecan is a Redguard man in his thirties who works under a guise of a poor farmer. He keeps a good façade with his wooden hut, small plot of arable land and a pier with an old fishing boat at the easternmost point of lake Amaya, but make no mistake about it, he's a warrior. He's dedicated his life to helping and freeing slaves from their masters with a particular interest in this region. His reasons are rather personal due to him spending his childhood in slavery.

He explained to me a lot about his work, mostly explaining to me what kind of beast we're up against. You hear about Camonna Tong a lot in these parts of Morrowind, but until you've come face to face with them you don't really know what kind of organization they really are. Sterdecan's description of them was as follows: "Take every unfair stereotype about a xenophobic Dunmer you can think, and then make it reality. Sprinkle in violent crime, slave trade and drugs, and finally, multiply it ten-fold. That's Camonna Tong in the nutshell."

That sadly doesn't even begin to describe how much of a problem they are. Nobody would worry about a band of ten or so bandits running this kind of business, but these guys are different. They have thousands of members, influence even beyond the borders of Morrowind, and they have money. Lots of it. Their kingpin himself, Orvas Dren, is a shrewd businessman, hailing from one of the richest families of this land, and he's got a lot of people on his payroll from independent businesses all the way to government-employed guards and corrupt officials. Sterdecan doesn't know exactly how far his influence goes, but he knows for the fact that Dren has members of the House Hlaalu's council in his pocket ready to do his whim against the will of the people. That is a big deal, too big of a deal for Twin Lamps to overcome alone.

Speaking of Twin Lamps, I also got to learn more about them too. As a faction they are very small with less than a hundred members, most of which are former slaves on their own right. Naturally, here in the land of the Dunmer where slavery is still legal, they have a lot of enemies, which forces them to employ tactics similar to those of other shadowy organizations, most of which operate illegally. Despite being small, they do have rich benefactors and backers to their cause, especially within the Empire. Their unofficial guild hall is actually located in the Castle Ebonheart with the Legion known to bankroll some of their missions against slave-traders.

Anyway, we're been going over our plan for a while now. Sterdecan has an insider within the plantation, who we can get information from, an Argonian by the name of Tim-Shei, more commonly known as Hums-In-Silence. If I tell him his real name, he will ask me a question about the Twin Lamps. I should reply with a code-phrase to prove to him that I'm an ally. He should tell me information about any and all recently captured slaves.

As for getting in, Sterdecan has a plan, and it should work. Always has in the past according to him. He handed me some forged papers which claim that I'm a Hlaalu Oathman sent by Nevena Ules to do some kind of routine check for… Something… Sterdecan told me to make something up. The guards aren't too bright there. Miss Ules is a member of Hlaalu Council deep in Dren's pocket, so just dropping her name should be enough for them to let me in. He just warned me to not get in contact with Orvas Dren himself, because that guy will know something's up if he sees me.

Hopefully everything will go as planned.

Frostfall, 19th, 3E 427

(By Karim)

Like Sterdecan said, getting in was easy as pie. I was initially told by an angry Orc to fuck off because they weren't a daycare or something, but when I showed him the papers, he understood and welcomed me without asking questions.

In addition to all the crop that they raise around the plantation outside the walls, they herd Netch. They're giant, floating jellyfish. Yes, floating. They don't swim. They're raised as cattle for leather, and if encountered in wild, docile if left alone, deadly and dangerous if provoked. Oh, and when I said giant, I meant it. Even the smallest, betty females have bodies larger than adult men do, and that's not even counting tentacles.

Work-force on farms is made exclusively from Argonian and Khajiiti slave-labor with the exception of a trained Netch herder as well as guardsmen to keep the slaves in check. Most of them are Hlaalu sub-contractors employed by Orvas Dren. Being on the shore of Lake Hairan, they have a decently sized docks with an access to the inner sea with lots of hot goods going through its port. That access isn't probably very easy considering all the rivers, canals and islands you have to navigate… But you can sail to the sea from here no problem.

I found my guy, Tim-Shei, resting in his hut. I guess even slaves get time off, because you don't want to work them to death. After confirming my allegiance to him and proving that I'm a friend, I got to asking my question, which I only had one of: does she have any clues about a woman by the name of Elone. He could luckily point me at her direction, telling me that there is indeed a woman who matches her description here. The problem? She's underground, and will be next to impossible to save from there.

"I saw her arrest", Tim said. "She was foolish enough to infiltrate this place alone, not sure why. When she tried to escape, the guards got her. There's a big underground basement which connects Dren's Villa with the other buildings. Camonna Tong offers premium services for their members and the VIP there, which include drugs and hookers."

Tim couldn't tell me anything beyond that, as he's obviously never been to that place. I didn't know if I could get there either, but I had to try.

Unsurprisingly, the Dunmeri bouncer was not too impressed by the papers I presented to him. "So, you're with the Hlaalu", he said. "So what?"

"I've been employed by Nevena Ules herself", I explained, preparing myself to tell him the lie I'd came up with just in case. "Basically, I've been sent to check everything's okay here."

"Everything IS okay here, n'wah", the bouncer said, still blocking the door like a wall. "Miss Ules answers to Ser Dren, and he does not approve these kinds of checks in his establishments. What would you be checking for anyway?"

"The Legion is concerned about the possibility of smuggling that take place here, which is why Miss Ules sent me. She expects me to write a persuasive report to shift the Empire's attention. Letting me in will cost you literally nothing."

"Ooooh, I see", the bouncer said, offering his open palm forward. "But it'll cost you. I'll let you in for a fifty drakes."

We got ourselves a deal, and I got in. I'm sure Caius will compensate me for these unforeseen expenses.

My next hurdle was finding my target. Luckily for me, Elone was working, and she just happened to be the only Redguard there. Made her easy to spot. She was topless, wearing a scantly little thong as a bottom with chains on her wrists and her ankles, and a collar with a long piece of chain being attached to it. She was a real beauty of mixed blood, a woman with a skin little lighter in tone than me or Kanna do. You tend to come across people like that in the northern parts of Hammerfell where we mix a lot with Nords and Bretons. She was of average height, in peak physical condition with real nice hips, a juicy butt, and a pair of tear-shaped tits, large but still perky. She was dancing on a pole, and although it didn't look like she was having good time, she did move that body well.

I sat down behind the bar counter, where a sharp-dressed Dark Elf greeted me with respect, asking what would the young Serjo like to drink. After telling him that I'm here for the ladies, hoping to have some private time, he offered me a drink on a house; a glass of Balmora Blue, chilled with magic to serve as an ice-cold beverage. It was some real nice, real strong, real sweet stuff that hit my head like a fucking hammer. I didn't know it beforehand, but I was drinking a Skooma cocktail. I hope I won't get hooked… I heard you usually don't when it comes to the pure stuff like this. This bartender was setting me up to part with as much money as possible, but honestly, I didn't even care. I asked how much would a private room be with that busty Redguard lady, and he just smirked as he said two-and-a-half hundred drakes. I knew I was getting ripped off, but I didn't care. I paid up.

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