#Lore24 – Entry #82 – Fantasy Month #22 – The Dulcitius Attaliates Expedition to Sharmourne

From the journal of Angeliqua “Goldeneyes” Cartacustos:

I was rather interested in the topic of expeditions to lost cities, however when Mother specifically asked about this one, and further specified that she wanted details about the leader’s frugality when organizing this endeavor, I was less enthused.  She certainly seems to be taken with this theme she’s gotten into her head as of late.

The great city of Sharmourne was another lost to the shifting landscapes following the Great Cataclysm, seemingly devoured by the churning earth, all traces wiped away.  Always a target for treasure hunters, Sharmourne was always something of an obsession for the scholar Dulcitius Attaliates, for his ancestors originated from the fabled city.  Though at the time a rather unsuccessful treasure hunter, his obsessive study of geography and historical records nonetheless led him to believe that he had puzzled out the likely location of the lost city.  The problem, as is often the case with treasure hunts, is finding proper funding.  Attaliates was not rich, and he had only a few of the lower nobility convinced when it came to actually providing money for his proposed expedition; he wasn’t possessed of a silver tongue, either. 

And so, perhaps born of his obsession and a generally frugal upbringing, Attaliates began what has become known by some as the “Trek of the Slave Scholars”.  Though there were only a handful of slaves in the expedition party, it was the equipment chosen by Attaliates that garnered the name.  As certain magical items are generally widely available at a relatively low cost thanks to their popularity by slave-owners within the Empire, Attaliates made the decision, regarded at the time, and still to this day by some, as a ludicrous one, to employ some of the magical accessories commonly in use on slaves to lower overall costs.

Perhaps having made use of charm spells and other enchantments, Attaliates somehow convinced his party of the benefits of such items, and the expedition was officially launched, setting out approximately two-hundred-thirty years ago.  Firstly, Attaliates insisted upon all members of the party making use of feeder gags once they had gone into the wildlands beyond the Empire’s borders, for palatable food and water were never guaranteed; while unappetizing and completely flavorless, the gags nonetheless provide all the nutrition required, pride and dignity be damned.  Due to having to wear the gags for a long period for their magics to adjust to the wearer and provide needed nourishment, I imagine this likewise greatly cut down on the number of complaints he received from his party.

Secondly, Attaliates employed longstrider boots obtained second-hand from a slave courier service; though worn and seemingly impractical (these particular items were hoof boots after all, made more for visual appeal), the enchantments nonetheless proved just as capable in the wilds, providing solid footing and enhanced endurance and speed.  Of course, elite scouts in the Imperial military often make use of boots with the same enchantment, but maintaining one’s pride came with costs that Attaliates simply couldn’t afford.  Thirdly, in lieu of pack animals, Attaliates’s party made use of pack-slave harnesses, which, while rather bulky and not conducive to wearing much in the way of clothing, nonetheless provided more than ample ability for he and his team to carry all of the gear they required, with enough magically enhanced carrying ability left over for what they hoped would be plenty of treasure.  Lastly, Attaliates made use of master rings and slave collars keyed to them, not for the punishments such devices can perform (there were no confirmed accounts of this function being employed, anyway), but for the magical tracking ability, allowing him and his team leads to know exactly where all members of the party were located.

While dignity was certainly not a factor in the expedition, Attaliates managed to prove that he was not as crazy as some may have thought he was.  His obsessive research proved to be very accurate, and though it took several weeks to bear fruit, his party were ultimately successful in locating the ruins of Sharmourne, the bulk of the city’s broken remnants scattered through a heavily forested, mountainous region.  With the relics and treasures this first expedition managed to find, Attaliates was easily able to fund additional trips with much larger and more well-funded groups, and without the need for slave gear.