THE Bench

Gokrenxia    Places      Lysandre      Khalismyr      THE Bench

Let me get this straight. Your grand plan - the KEY to the success of our Khalismyr operation is... a bench?

— Jenta Hua'zur Arjeev Mistress of Whispers

To many this is simply an unremarkable and quaint bench, built in traditional Elven style. It looks and feels much the same as any other bench in any given green space of the aging Shalindon district in the ancient Elven city of Khalismyr. It was most likely constructed around the same time, built with the same materials, and set in place exactly the same as every other bench. By most accounts it is an incredibly mediocre location to people watch the upscale Elven residents of the district go about their daily lives, to rest one's tired feet, or perhaps take in the sites and sounds of the city's bustling Keep but a few blocks to the Southwest. It is most likely exactly the same as its weathered counterparts across the district, with one minor distinction.
To a small handful of the city's inhabitants, this particular Bench represents something else entirely. Deeply entrenched within the city, agents of Jenta Hua'zur's Kynekin intelligence organization, known as the Shaf Yadursmaj, serve as spies, agents, and informants on the most important of happenings here in the Elven Capital of Lysandre. This Bench is a key aspect of their work.

The signals are many and varied, yet all of them are designed to be subtle: A particular meal being offered on the tavern owner's menu today. A flower pot with yellow markings being placed on a window sill visible from the street. A discount on a certain herb today. These prearranged actions are how Shaf agents notify the local Intelligence Cell leader for Khalismyr that new information is available for retrieval.
Assuming the signal is seen, the cell leader will proceed to the Bench as soon as possible. The underside of the right arm of the the Bench has been carefully hollowed to allow the covert placement and retrieval of tightly rolled messages. Once retrieved, they can be assimilated by the local cell leader to build the larger picture of Elven machinations and inform future Vath'azen political movements.