Deep in the sunbaked south, surrounded by the shifting sands of an endless desert, she rises.
A solitary rose amidst the dust and rock. A symbol of defiance. Her name: Ul’dah.
Even with the coming of the Seventh Umbral Era, hope springs eternal for the mongers and merchants who vie for lost fortunes in this bustling oasis.
As the Twin Faces of Nald’thal maintain Their vigil over all that has been and shall be, the present proffers a brave soul…
…One whose arrival could mark the beginning of a new era of prosperity for the realm.
May the Traders nurture our fortunes as They kindle the flames which burn within us all.
For by fire are we reborn.
???: …Hey. Hey, you!
Grizzled Passenger: Y’all right, lass?
Grizzled Passenger: You were moanin’ somethin’ fierce for a while there.
Grizzled Passenger: Feelin’ the effects of the aether, I reckon.
Grizzled Passenger: You’ll get used to it, though, don’t worry.
Brass Blade Captain: You there─halt!
Carriage Driver: What’s all this about!?
Brass Blade Captain: Inspection! Men, search the carriage!
Grizzled Passenger: I’m just an honest peddler, friend. So, er…don’t be too disappointed if you don’t find nothin’, eh?
Brass Blade: Mind your tongue, old man, lest I cut it out!
Brass Blade: Sir, look! Somnus!
Brass Blade Captain: Honest peddler, was it? Since when do honest peddlers deal in prohibited herbs?
Brass Blade Captain: You’re in a lot of trouble, old man. You’ll rot in a dungeon till the end of your days…unless you can afford the fine.
Grizzled Passenger: Heh, business as usual…
Grizzled Passenger: Uwaaah!
Brass Blade Runner: Amalj’aa! Amalj’aa! To arms! To arms!
Brass Blade Captain: Seven hells… Consider this a warning! Now go─all of you!
Grizzled Passenger: Phew… That kind of excitement ain’t good for the heart.
Grizzled Passenger: You be careful ’round them Brass Blades, lass. Bastards’ll have the shirt off your back if they fancy it. Like common bandits, they are, only less honest.
Grizzled Passenger: Thank the gods for sendin’ some beastmen to the rescue, eh!?
Grizzled Passenger: Hey, seein’ as we’ve still got a long ride ahead, you mind keepin’ me company till we arrive?
Grizzled Passenger: Them young’uns don’t much care for conversation, see.
Brendt: Brendt’s the name, an’ peddlin’s me trade.
Brendt: An’ judgin’ by your unusual garments, I’ll wager you’re one of them new adventurers.
Brendt: I knew it! Goin’ wherever the wind blows, seekin’ fortune an’ glory─now that’s what I call livin’!
Brendt: So long as you can avoid dyin’, I mean. Ain’t no secret that adventurin’s a risky business─these days especially.
Brendt: What was it that first attracted you to it?
Brendt: …Power? As in, er…power to do good? Like protectin’ the weak, an’ fightin’ for what’s right, an’ all that? Aye, I thought that’s what you meant. Well, adventurers do get up to a lot of fightin’, that’s for sure. You’ll never be short of a chance to polish your warcraft in the adventurin’ business.
Brendt: When you arrive in town, you’d best enroll at the Adventurers’ Guild─they’ll set you on the right path.
Brendt: An’ it wouldn’t hurt to join a guild, neither.
Brendt: Ul’dah’s home to a few, so if you fancy learnin’ how to fight with a sword, your fists, or even spells, you should think about seekin’ one out.
Brendt: Just remember, though: there’re more important things than fortune an’ glory. Such as breathin’. Ain’t no profit in bein’ dead, an’ that’s a fact.
Brendt: By the by, is this your first trip to Ul’dah?
Brendt: It is!? Well then, let this journeyed itinerant tell you the ins an’ outs of your destination.
Brendt: Ul’dah’s ruled by the sultana in name, but as most folk know, the Syndicate holds all the real power.
Brendt: Them and their Monetarist cronies would happily get rid of Her Grace altogether, but that won’t happen while she still commands the loyalty of the Royalists─an’ the Royalists are nothin’ if not loyal.
Brendt: These factions have long fought over power, throwin’ the weight of their wealth against each other, an’ they show no sign of stoppin’.
Brendt: ‘Course the lizardmen─that’s the Amalj’aa─couldn’t care less about Ul’dahn politics. They have their own interests, see─an’ they ain’t afraid to use force to serve ’em.
Brendt: They say war is a gift to peddlers─need breedin’ profit─an’ though it shames me to say it, I’m inclined to agree…
Brendt: Ah, at long last.
Brendt: Behold Ul’dah, jewel of Thanalan, where folk turn sand into gold!
Brendt: An’ here’s where we part ways, lass.
Brendt: I’m off to the markets to deliver me wares, then it’s on to the highroad for me.
Brendt: Here, I want you to have this─by way of thanks for puttin’ up with me prattle.
Brendt: You never did tell me your name, though. Hey, but here’s an idea…
Brendt: Become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin’ met, an’ I’ll consider us square.
???: Oi, ‘venturer! Over here!
???: Aye, I mean you.
???: Fresh off the carriage, by any chance? Eh? How can I tell? Heh!
Wymond: Name’s Wymond, an’ my business is knowin’ every bugger else’s!
Wymond: Now then, what if I was to offer you some invaluable advice by way of welcome to our fair city? Free of charge, even─just this once, like.
