[b]Kalaya[/b]

You're paying attention to the masked woman, really looking her over for the first time. And she's not exactly hiding her role here. She's wearing thin leathers, reinforced at important points with laminated bamboo, dyed black and crafted to make little noise. The mask is theatrical, a abstract bird with blue and black plumage. And the House Ragara crest at her neck seals it. She's one of the Dominion's vassals, working for their intelligence arm. And she wants you to know it: otherwise, you'd be looking at regular legionnaire armor.

So. Maybe, just maybe, she's actually angling for exactly what she seems like she's angling for? She doesn't want the rakasha to succeed, you saw that angry flash in her eyes, and she doesn't mean you any harm. So she's just trying to find a way for you and Red Wolf to work together, so you don't have to go to the Lamentation, so nobody suffers.

Because, and this is also clear, she's going to do whatever Red Wolf says. The Dominion claims a mandate from the Last Dragon, and while the masked lady doesn't want to crush the Flower Kingdoms or you under a legion's boot, she believes she's doing the proper and just thing here, obeying imperial authority. So the offer being agreeable to Red Wolf was the first priority: that's why you're still going out, to do something that will ultimately benefit the Dominion. She just wanted to find a way to have you help people out on the way.