Of all the things Asher could have noted, he instead said, "Here in Sevitel? We're on the border, Johanna, but we are in Enrimor. You're not on home soil any longer." Then he relented. "It seems as if your family is responsible for your current state of affairs, just as mine was." He felt a kindred spirit with this woman, after they had both gotten past that sticky point of contempt for each other. They were in similar financial straits for very different reasons. "Never heard of The Red Palace, sorry."

There wasn't much else to say, but as he sat there, an idea and a statement wormed into his mind. [i]This woman is pretty. More than pretty: in the right outfit and get-up, she would be outright alluring.[/i] And with the spine she had displayed to him already...well, perhaps it was time to see if he could enlist in a full-rights partner on his journey. They both sought the same general goal, an ascension from poverty, and what would he and Emerson do with a treasure of emperors, anyway?

"All right," Asher murmured, his mind decided. He turned to face her, a fierce light flickering in his eyes, from the fire, and from his own hopes. "Decades, centuries ago, when the titanic Fortisian tribal empire walked the continent. They owned everything, from the seas to the forests.They amassed tons, uncountable masses of gold and silver, and precious stones, all from within the earth we now walk above. There's still plenty available, do not misunderstand me, but their skill with crafting and mining were unmatched.

"The different factions within the warlord-based kingdom each had their own massive amounts of treasure, with trade between the tribes being based on each tribe's spirit animal. I realize this is likely unknown history for you, so for now just understand that to each of the fourteen tribes, a specific type of stone or material was worth more than all the others. Wars were fought over these rocks.

"Now imagine a king--the first king, really, of this continent. emerged from the dusts of time and gained control of each tribe, one after another. He quietly stole their precious stones away each night, and in the tribes' desperation, they all agreed to join the king. Except for one: the Ronas. Now we call them citizens of Rohnad. Rohnans, whatever you please."

He leaned in slightly, his words becoming more and more excited as he began to pull a scroll from the mess of his personal effects by the foot of his bed. "The Ronas refused to submit to this king's reign of trickery and theft. They retreated to the far southwest corner of Reath, to the point where none but the bravest dared enter the cold. The Ronas, well, they were definitely the bravest. And the most resourceful, with the most accurate hunters and most skilled warriors. They also had a code, a code which restrained them from taking over the other tribes by force.

"The king attacked. Oh, he tried to wipe them out, but the Ronas were clever. They never established full cities, instead mastering the art of erecting giant tent-towns in a day; each person built their own home in accordance with a central plan, et cetera. The king could never find the inhabitants of the frigid region, so he established himself ruler and caretaker of the region.

Asher chuckled dryly. "But the Ronas weren't finished. They struck at night, carefully, using the king's own shady tactics against him to protect their land. There were casualties, on both sides, but the king was driven back, and Rohnad was eventually established as a country. That's another story, however.

He unrolled the parchment in front of him, a relatively new piece of writ with a country looking nothing like any of the maps of today. "The king was driven back to the rest of the continent, where I assume he eventually played a role in the founding of Sevitel, and eventually Enrimor. Imagine this: a king in control of thirteen tribes of warlord-controlled people, all of them held together through sheer force of will and conflict among themselves. Eventually, something had to break. I don't know the specifics, but the kind was annihilated, and many of the tribes along with him. Only Rohnad and a few others survived, those wise enough to escape while they could.

"Here's where it get's interesting. Aside from Rohnad, that king and his closest attendants controlled most of the wealth on the entire continent that was above-ground." He broke off in to a slight tangent. "That being said, Emerson tells me that there's still vast amounts of untamed riches and wealth to be had on this continent, and the others besides. Anyway, this treasure trove, it vanished with the king.

"Imagine that," he repeated. "One of the greatest, most stunning collections of art and craftsmanship and treasure to ever exist, lost to history, somewhere on the continent." He was embellishing slightly: he doubted it was such an incredible amount, but it was still likely a massive sum, more than most nobles would ever acquire in their lives. "And I have a clue to it."

Here he pointed down to the jagged border of the ink. "This is a rough etching of the ancient king's capital region. And this," here he traced a red line, "is where I think the treasure might be hidden. At the very least, there has to be a clue there. It took Emerson and I months of studying old tomes and charts to narrow it down even this much. It might not even exist." He laughed humorlessly. "I might just be fooling myself into oblivion. But I [i]can't[/i] just let it go." He eyed her carefully, hoping to see some sort of reaction.

"Anyway, I'm sorry to talk your ears off. My excitement got a little away from me." He glanced out the window. "It's getting late, far later than I meant to be up on such a miserable night. I'm going to bed. Don't worry, I won't touch you in your sleep, you have my word." He rolled up the parchment and tossed it back to his things, where is hung out tantalizingly. With any luck, she'd be drawn to it, especially if he read her strange, hungry look correctly.

Asher nodded to the woman, made sure the fire had plenty of wood, and then crawled under the worn, yet surprisingly comfortable and clean bedsheets. [i]Not bad at all,[/i] he mused.