There was no way to describe the strange contradiction that was the weather in the desert kingdom of Arri. While the other lands might be locked in a rather temperate, or frigid winter with snow drifts up to the tops of one's boots, this place remained more or less sunny, and remained balmy and warm even through the winter months. Winter here, was like Spring in Adeluna.  

It suited Drae just fine. He'd grown accustomed to the constant state of harvest at the Sundering Gardens, and the constant state of frigid in Adeluna and Wyllmochvar, due to the cities' placement on the coast. His long black hair was pulled out of his face in a partial pony tail, and he was dressed smartly in a green silk vest, black shirt, and matching black boots and pants with a rather outlandish cloak of stars to top off the outfit, and walked with his carved staff, topped with a brilliant green gem. 

He more or less ignored the calls of the vendors in the bazaar. He wasn't looking for just the run-of-the-mill merchandise, he was looking for something a little more… exotic and enticing. Many of the women and men gave him respectful head nods, recognizing him, but otherwise he was treated much like any visitor to the bazaar. He stopped at a vendor and began looking through a collection of scrolls and books that was on display.

Next to him he would notice a tiny woman, barely 3 feet in height, looking at the books on display as well.  By her expression alone, it was obvious she was unimpressed.

"Is this honestly all you can offer?"  She said to the seller, slamming the book shut and placing it back. "I came here expecting knowledge I have yet to obtain.  Spells, enchantments, rituals, I will take parlor tricks if I have to!  History of the city?  Understanding the cycle of life?  Paltry!"  

She scoffed and began to walk away, returning to the one book she brought with her.

Drae raised an eyebrow at the tiny woman's outburst and watched as she huffed off, almost amused at the antics of it. He couldn't help but chuckle at her diminutive back as he picked up the books she had been looking at. 

"My dear, don't bark at the vendor if you aren't looking at titles," he chuckled as he put the books back down. "This is one of the finest places to gain arcane knowledge in Canelux, with the exception of maybe Egjora. Artifacts come through this city on a regular basis. You just have to be patient enough to find them. Don't all treasures and knowledge require a little bit of digging when one is on a quest?" he asked simply. 

"For example," he said, as he picked up the history she had pushed aside and scoffed at, "if you were to read through the history of the city, you might learn where said arcane knowledge might be kept," he pointed out. "And understanding the cycle of life is paramount to understanding any sort of nature magic. Surely you can't scoff at such knowledge. How else would you get the food you eat?" he asked. 

The woman turned back around to look up at Drae, a raised eyebrow a loot of confusion.

"And who might you be?"  She asked, almost insulted someone would question her.

Drae cast the halfling a charming smile and leaned upon his rod casually. She was certainly an arrogant one, but he shrugged it off. Two could play that game. 

"Those who know me call me Drae. Around here I'm known as Master Adraejen Porthyrius, personal warlock to Angela Rose the Master Artisan of Life and Keeper of the Cornucopia," he said putting on a regal air. Drae looked her over, in an almost scrutinizing manner, his grey eyes holding a cunning glint as he picked up his staff and indicated to her nonchalantly.  

"And who might you be, Halfling? I don't think I have had the honor of meeting one of your people in the past, though I see them running around the docks of Wyllmochvar often enough," he mused and looked about the crowded Bazaar and recognized that she was in fact the only Halfling to be seen. "You must be a mage, given your demanding nature and complaint about not finding arcane knowledge in a basic history book?" he asked lightly. 

Quis adjusted her glasses silently, unequivocally unamused.  Suddenly she grabbed one of the tomes on the stand. It was about the history of the desert city.

"You will call me Quis Electrum, or Miss Electrum- whichever is easier.  And to give you an idea of my current situation…"

Suddenly both her personal book and the one she grabbed began to levitate in front of her so their faces were turned to him.  In unison and with a flick of her wrist, Quis opened both books to identical pages before her own book flipped through a few dozen pages of its own.  The pages they landed on, however, were perfect matches.  The same words, same spacing, same font and letter size, it was as if both books were the same edition.  She flipped a few pages slowly, showing him that the book was recorded within hers despite her own book seemingly of less pages.

She flicked her wrist and the book returned to the stall to be replaced by another one, a slightly thicker book containing information on creating food, water, and other divine spells.  She repeated the same process of showing him the face then flipping both books to identical pages.

"What I desire is not simple information like you assume I want.  Any apprentice would know the history of this land."  She said, putting the book back and putting her own tome back in her hands. "What I am after is something specific, something that would require extensive knowledge only a true master would have.

She flipped the pages of her book, seemingly dozens of pages pass but no change in the remaining amount, before resting on an image.  What appeared to be a large, red ruby was encased in a bracelet.  Along the sides of the bracelet were strange symbols- letters in an ancient, dead language possibly.

"Simply called Jin's Band, it is a bracelet said to contain a powerful genie appropriately, although childishly, named Jinny.  My research has lead me to believe this artifact is somewhere on the outskirts of Arri, most likely the desert sands itself, but I have neither the knowledge nor resources to properly find it.  I came here to this stand to find a tome with any sort of knowledge that may help me.  A divination spell, an enchantment, a long-lost tidbit of information.  Nothing!"

She sighed and turned away from the stand, shaking her head.

"In the merchant's defense, relying on such coveted information from a simple book stand in a marketplace was…overzealous on my part.  But I will not stop until I obtain Jin's Band.  With Jinny's wish-granting prowess, I'll finally achievement my goal."

Her eyes seem to sparkle somewhat as she spoke, enthusiastic about her chances of finding something that was possibly not even real.

Drae raised a skeptical eyebrow at the tiny woman but he moved in close to look at the book she proffered. He became quite aware then of why she was so frustrated, but he had to admit, he admired her zeal and lust for knowledge. The book itself was an ingenious item at that, and the warlock found himself desiring such a tome. It would certainly make his own studies a little easier, and the recall of information would merely be at his fingertips. He itched to touch the tome but did not step out of his bounds. 

"Then I say, I don't think you know what you really want," Drae said looking at her perplexed. "Do you seek this bauble or do you seek parlor tricks and other arcane knowledge that you were ranting about when you slammed the books around just a moment ago?" he asked her. "You are not going to find what you are looking for if you continue to ridicule the books you choose to pick up. Why not ask the good seller if perhaps he knows this artifact you are looking for, or if he has any other texts elsewhere that are not in this particular cart. No one can know the wishes of your heart if you don't speak and accept the aid of others," he said flatly, and looked at the artifact.

"A paltry jewel it is. Quite easily nothing but a fairy tale, but if you wish it, I may be persuaded to help in some small degree," he said. "I know someone who has great knowledge, and has seen many an artifact and has many in her possession. Perhaps, dear halfling, I can take you to her and the two of you can parley and make a trade," he suggested. 

"Considering you find it acceptable to talk down to me, I don't know if I want to go anywhere with you."  She retorted.  "Who is this woman of which you speak?"