The Exhortations of Najm ibn Marwan

 Najm ibn Marwan takes a break from study time and reading The Queen of Winds for a little public exhortation. He hopes that calling out certain great houses will not be taken the wrong way, but instead will sting them into action—he hopes! Otherwise he might be making some powerful enemies.

To this end, he gathers his crew with him and enters into the public souk, seeking out a high place that can serve as a focal point. He makes sure that there are servants and agents of some of the well known and powerful houses in the souk, and when once he has made sure of this, he begins loudly proclaiming a prepared speech ...

“Friends of the Cities,

“Too long has the shadow of threat stretched toward the very walls of Cothon and Gadeed, with little being done to drive it back. It is as if evening were descending, the very sun setting, and we, knowing that nightfall is inevitable, do nothing to rekindle the sun’s light.

“But this is no fall of night! No ending of the day. This is a threat against which we can fight back, a foe with bodies in which we can flesh swords. And though they be dead already, life already driven from them, yet they may still be put down and destroyed, in much the same way that a mad dog is already dead, yet must be stopped in its tracks before it can wreak any more damage in its final madness.

“Even within the last week, some few of us were able to destroy one of the greater creations that haunt Old Tsurr, a great sro that bore storms with it—yes, we destroyed it, and hacked its body apart, as you can see if you care to come look! But at the same time as we were destroying this monster, the enemy moved against the Poor Brothers of the Dead at the Hastati Gate and drove them from their post there, killing many of their number in battle.

“With this in mind, I think it’s time to stretch our hands and test our strength more fully against this enemy, and even to cut it out like the cankerous blight that it is. A company of us intend to drive again into Old Tsurr, in the company of Iqtadar Sesel, and to battle the monsters therein, and most especially the rumored giant some call the Stygian. And I propose that Friends of the Cities, if friends they be, assist us!

“Though of humble means, I will pay into the Cities’ treasury the month’s wages for fifty men-at-arms, if the Cities will agree to send them to our assistance. And I implore all those of greater means, and especially those who keep retinues for the defense of the Cities, to also send us aid. General Dalinar al Khalid, if he is deserving of the praise I hear on the people’s lips, will surely agree to this. Al Rashid, of whom Sesel is a son-in-law, will no doubt wish to aid in this matter. And the Barcidae, so quick to offer their assistance to the Cities, will surely leap to assist as well.

“Indeed, if Friend of the City you be, and you have means, see to it that we have forces adequate to attack the enemy that occupies Tsurr al Qadim. Help us to drive back this darkness, and kindle a fire to destroy all the shadows of threat. Once Old Tsurr is free again, we can then more easily turn our attention back to the Red Cloud and his ultimate defeat.”

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For his own part, Najm offers to pay the wages for a body of forty (40) light foot and ten (10) heavy foot. This would come out to 220 dinars (40*2*2=160 for the light foot; 10*3*2=60 for heavy; 160+60=220).

I don’t know that they can be specifically hired and outfitted just like that within a week, but he is essentially offering to assist the Cities’ treasuries by personally contributing for the wages of some men whom he hopes will assist in the assault on the undead. Wages are doubled because they’re specifically being called to combat.