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Our Story So Far...

The Adventures of Sauf al-Sahar (The Swords of the Desert)

Dramatis personæ

Character Player Description
Farid al Lamî’ Nisâl Alex A 24-year old desert fighter, Farid left his Horse Clan of the Shining Blades to begin his Safar al-Kibîr (Journey of Adulthood). He met the rest of the group while traveling with Mar'aqutt (see below), a friend of many years. Shortly after the group formed and he met Zaki (see below), Farid took the vows of Farisi, a holy warrior in the service of Corean.

Hakaad al-Rimal Phil Hakaad's usual form of self-introduction is something along the lines of, “I am Hakaad al-Rimal, wielder of magic, seeker of mysteries, slayer of dragons, savior of Banja, and master of the hidden power of the desert.” An accomplished elemental sand mage, Hakaad is the self-proclaimed leader of the group.

Izdahar al-Damir Leanne Diminutive and perpetually innoocent, the Rawuna Isdahar is the chronicler and entertainer of the group. Her constant search for new stories and knowledge frequently blind her to dangers virtually in front of her.

Mar'aqutt (Nadimah bint Layyinah al Masa Saiyad) Lori A young (111 years of age) elven desert ranger, Mar'aqutt ("Little Cat" in the Midani tongue) began this journey on her Safar al-Kibîr with Farid. Along the way, after joining the group with him, she acquired an animal companion, an elven Jin-Sat named Sudha.

Yasmina bint Rhayeema al-Arak NPC This stunning blond beauty, still in her late teens, was saved by the group (led by Hakaad) from eventual death by torture and neglect at the hands of the Calipha's minions. Shortly after her rescue and recovery, she and Hakaad wed and have been together ever since. Since joining the group, she has undertaking the study of arcane forces and has become a powerful sorceress in her own right. Her entire life is centered around two goals; support of her husband in his endeavors, and exacting agonizing revenge on the Calipha for the pain that she inflicted on Yasmina.

Zafirah bint Farida Kathy A Saluk whose only god is the full coin purse, Zafirah stays with the party because of the general potential for profit. She never passes up the opportunity to complain with the group elects to undertake some activity or mission purely for altruistic motivations.

Zaki al-Tahir NPC A pragmatist priest of Corean, this gnome joined the party early on, immediately after being rescued by them.

Formatting Notes

Any sections highlighted in yellow (this color) indicate notes or comments inserted by the GM as questions, reminders, or general elaboration.
Any sections highlighted in aqua (this color) indicate activities that occur behind the scenes which may not be common knowledge to the party as a whole.

Drendar's Voice (aka Timorin's Mechanical Sage)

At a mid-point in the party's adventures, they come into possession of an artifact called Timorin's Mechanical Sage (more coloquially known as Drendar's Voice, after the god whose foresight it supposedly channels.) A complete list of the questions that the party has ever presented to the device, along with the answer they received and the date on which it occurred, can be found HERE.

Year: 1498

Ashra (10)   
11th The party’s first action together: defend a caravan from attacking Gargun. Several caravan members were kidnapped (including Yasmina). The party heads off in pursuit, accompanied by a cleric from the caravan named Maudi. En route, they encounter a wounded half-ogre Faris of Corean (Salah bin Mukhtaar al-Adal), who has had his mount (a Camel of the Pearl) shot out from under him by desert brigands. They offer medical assistance and then (at his insistence) continue on their way.
12th Party finds Gargun pyramid, rescues Yasmina (and two others), returns her to her father.
14th Caravan arrives in Rifaa. The party encounters Hakaad’s uncle Wazir on his way to Eidolon. Hakaad beds Yasmina.
15th Yasmina and her father leave (with the caravan) for Shadazar. The party learns of two local young people, a brother and sister, went (with two other adventurers, a paladin and a ranger) to explore the Sunless Citadel (an underground warren to the south). They have been missing for a month and a reward is offered for finding them. Maudi (a priest of Hedrada who as traveling with the caravan) is missing, so the party finds a local cleric and buys some healing potions before heading toward the Sunless Citadel.
19th The party encounters a tribe of kobolds and acquires a new (temporary) member of the group, Meepo. The kobold leader, Yusdrayl, offers a reward for finding and returning their totem baby white dragon that was stolen by goblins.
20th – 28th The party explores the Sunless Citadel in fits and starts, frequently returning to town to recover and resupply.
Hed’ash (11)
2nd The party finds and rescues a gnome, Zaki Al-Tahir (a priest of Corean), who joins them to find Khaleel the Outcast – an evil druid that seems to have a hand in the missing siblings.
3rd – 8th Train in town and continue to explore. Seek signs of the white dragon and of the Outcast.
9th Find and rescue/subdue Calcryx, the baby white dragon. They celebrate with the kobolds, who make a very strong beverage.
10th Yasmina and her father arrive in Shadazar. (Yasmina, who is only 16, and her father are travelling to Shadazar in the belief that Yasmina is one of the chosen few young girls who will serve the Calipha as her new handmaidens. When they arrive, there is a brief ceremony after which Yasmina and her father are parted, never to see each other again. The horrible truth is that the Calipha is an evil necromancer over 100 years old who requires the blood of 13 virgins once a year to retain her youth. The Calipha is furious when her attending priestesses learn that Yasmina is no longer the virgin she was expected to be. In her fury, the Calipha has Yasmina publically scourged, almost to death, and then taken to the Temple of Eternal Cold, high in the mountains, to die of starvation and neglect.)
15th Calipha’s Celebration of Ascension.
18th Maudi the priest of Hedrada, found buried in shallow grave east of Rifaa.
11th – 19th The party explores more and battles various nasty creatures.
20th The party discovers an underground library. It is very neglected, but a library nevertheless. Many tomes are dedicated to gardening and a huge book in Draconian is found. Izdahar is in heaven. The party finds a huge cavern with a very sick-looking grove of trees.
22nd The party meets Khaleel “the Outcast”. They discover that he has given the missing siblings over to the Gulthias Tree. They defeat Khaleel, recover the remains of the brother and sister, and prepare to head back to town.
23rd The party returns to town and informs mistress Al-Hanza of her children’s fate. She grieves but is grateful for the effort.
24th Hakaad is arrested!
28th Hakaad is tortured by Imam Aleasar Bey (and his henchman) for information about Hakaad’s uncle Wazir. All of Hakaad’s fingers are broken. In his pain, he couldn’t be sure, but Hakaad believes that T’laar was present during his inquisition.
Tnash (12)
5th Party leaves Rifaa with a caravan headed east.
7th The caravan is enveloped in a supernatural sand storm and the party is whisked off to the parallel world of Athus. They are press-ganged into servitude by Farcluun, the Dragon King. They later defeat him (with Hakaad driving a jambiya through his heart for the killing stroke), restore the oasis with the help of a local druid (while holding off a horde of zombies), and are then returned to Barr al-Fadi. One significant treasure they bring back is the “Eye of Ard”, although they have no idea of its importance.
8th The caravan and party arrive in Obari.
9th The caravan and party depart Obari.
10th Yasmina’s birthday. She turns 17.
11th The caravan and party arrive in Tabraqah.
12th The caravan and party depart Tabraqah.
15th The caravan and party arrive in Tajiq. The party leaves the caravan.
19th The party leaves Tajiq, headed south.
Mar’aqutt’s birthday. She turns 110.
22nd The party arrives in Qasser Halai.
23rd The party departs Qasser Halai and arrives in Banja the same evening.
24th The party leaves Banja, headed south, to search for Shishmet – the Valley of Kings.
28th The party arrives in Tabuk
Tlata’sh (13)
1st The party explores west of town and finds the first stone milepost, suggesting the route to Shishmet, The hidden tomb valley of kings.
2nd A second milepost is found. The party plans for a short trip (~7 days) round trip into the desert to look for a definite route to Shishmet.
3rd The party leaves Tabuk, headed southwest into the deep desert.
7th The party establishes a hidden water cache and heads back for town.
10th On the return leg to Tabuk, party encounters a small raiding party of Gargun. They make short work of them. That evening, they encounter a hunting party of desert centaurs, led by a Lord Therin. The interaction is brief, but friendly.
11th The party returns to Tabuk and makes provision for the long haul.
12th The party leaves Tabuk again, this time headed all the way to Shishmet (they hope.)
15th The party does battle to a pair of large desert cats.
16th The party encounters a desert gynosphinx named Cytheria. She demands that they participate in a contest of riddles with her. When they win, she grudgingly allows them to pick from her stash of magic items. They select a Canteen of Endless Water. Late in the day, they encounter an old fort guarding a bridge across a deep chasm splitting the badlands. A troll and pair of slow-witted orcs maintain guard from a small ruined fort on the far side (and wring tolls out of any who cross.) The party dispatches them and settles in for the night. They discover that, in addition to being a secure location to camp, the old ruin has a deep well yielding clean water. Once night has fallen, they discover that the soft canyon walls in this location are saturated with pulverized Sithurl, commercially worthless, but fantastically beautiful at night. Mar’aqutt collects a small bagful.
18th The party discovers the outer valley of Shishmet and arrives at the “entrance temple”.
19th The party discovers the secret passage into the lower valley and spends the next two days looting tombs.
21st In the tomb of Hepti VII, Yazeed drowns in a water trap.
22nd The party leaves Shishmet, hurrying back to Tabuk in a desperate attempt to have Yazeed raised before time runs out.
23rd The party departs the outer valley.
28th The party arrives in Tabuk, just in the nick of time, and has Yazeed raised at a local temple.
Arbata’sh (14)
2nd Izdahar’s birthday. She turns 17.
4th Zafirah trains in Tabuk.
8th The party leaves Tabuk, bound again for Shishmet. They encounter a group sent after Hakaad by Aleasar Bey. The attackers are defeated. All but the commander are slain. He survives by protecting himself with a Cube of Force until he teleport away. Mar’aqutt is poisoned during the battle. The party hurries back to Tabuk for a Neutralize Poison from the temple.
9th The party heads out again.
11th The party battles a pair of giant scorpions.
14th The party arrives at “Troll Keep” and spends the night.
15th The party battles a pair of Ankhegs.
16th The party arrives at Shishmet.
17th The party loots the tomb of Badra al-Din the Pious. That evening, their campsite is accosted by a single wight, which they drive off.
18th The party does battle with six wights, killing one and driving off the rest.
19th The party loots the tomb of Suphet-Na and battles a ghast (which they defeat.)
20th The party makes a first attempt at penetrating the Hall of Wind. Other than killing two giant spiders, they do not succeed. They make camp for the night and lick their wounds.
21st The party spends a day recovering.
22nd Ditto
23rd The party succeeds at removing the Pipes of Haunting from the Hall of Winds. Later in the day, they encounter (and best) a wandering mummy.
24th The party cleans out the tomb of the Bandit King.
25th The party loots the tomb of Gremm Fasthands.
26th The party plunders the tomb of Abdul-Haqq and defeats six Dargoth (Baatezu) in a pitched battle. They advance as far as the burial chamber foyer and then retire to recover from their wounds.
27th The Party sets out for Tabuk.
Quddam ali Shati Festival day.
Khalf ali Shati Festival day.

Year: 1499

Wahid (1)   
3rd The Party arrives in Tabuk.
4th The Party departs Tabuk, bound for Banja.
6th The Party does battle with an earth elemental.
7th The Party arrives in Banja.
9th Farid and Zaki train.
10th Zaki continues training. The party meets Aurora Kasparian al-Sayid for the first time.
11th Izdahar commissions four scrolls.
13th Izdahar take delivery of her scrolls. Mar’aqutt, Farid, and Izdahar have dinner with al-Sayid.
14th Hakaad requests a meeting with al-Sayid, to discuss rescuing Yasmina. His uncle Wazir is present (Hakaad punches him.) al-Sayid arranges for Sharn to guide the party through “The In Between”. The party leaves for Shadazar at midnight.
16th After two days negotiating “The In Between”, the party arrives in Shadazar.
17th Zafirah, Hakaad, and Izdahar explore the “lower city”.
19th Hakaad and Mar’aqutt explore the “Warrens”.
20th The party learns Yasmina’s location (the abbey at the Temple of Eternal Cold).
21st Yazeed double-crosses the party, but is caught by Sharn.
22nd Just after midnight, the party breaks into the Ministry of Internal Security and gates to the abbey. They find and free Yasmina (who is on the edge of death), and steal a small (courier) airship (which is damaged by quadracite gun fire in the escape.) Just after dawn they crash and are forced to continue south on foot.
25th The party encounters a Djinn, “Kareem, Master of the Southern Wind” who directs them to the Temple of Ard. The party gives the “Eye of Ard” to them and they use its power to heal Yasmina.
26th Hakaad proposes marriage to Yasmina and she accepts.
28th Hakaad and Yasmina are wed by Primus, the high priest of Ard.
Tnain (2)
4th The party departs the Temple of Ard, headed south on foot. As reach the nearest low hill, they turn to see the entire temple slowly being enveloped by the mountainside. In a few minutes, nothing is left but wilderness.
5th The party does battle with two dust blights.
8th The party defeats a smallish sand dragon (which later, becomes Farid and Mar’aqutts leather armor) and endures a moderate sandstorm.
10th Battle of the Barrow of Narrendru
15th The party is ambushed by two harssaf, but defeats them handily.
16th The party battles 3 ghul in the ruins of Tamabra, and meets Sameer, the brass dragon. They spend the night in the ruins, conversing with Sameer, who is happy for the company.
17th The party spends the day with Sameer, resting before continuing the journey. The night, Mar’aqutt wakes to find Sudha, a Jinn-Sat, laying next to her. He explains (mentally) that they are bound to one another.
18th Shortly after departing the ruins, the party encounters a small band of mounted brigands. After brief, and rather one-sided, exchange, the party continues south on their new horses.
19th The party is fortunate to see (from a distance) a rare dallisad.
20th Late in the day, the party arrives at Maktaba al Dahab (“the Golden Library”.) Al-Sayid visits the party and brings them up to date on the war.
22nd Yazeed escapes and flees west, pursued by Sharn. Neither is seen again.
23rd Farid and Mar’aqutt arrange to have the sand dragon hide carefully tanned.
27th Farid and Mar’aqutt take delivery of the tanned sand dragon hide.
Tlati (3)
1st – 21st Rumors and gossip of the now-active state of war between the Caliphate and Genosha abound.
22nd The party leaves Maktaba al Dahab, headed west for Banja.
24th The party encounters a large band of gnolls. Hakaad makes short work of them by enveloping them in the grinding sands of a Haboob.
25th The party encounters (and spends the night with) the desert Clan of the Bright Spear at the Oasis of the Rock. The clan’s blind Sayyadina reads the fortunes of all the party members, some of which are chilling. The individual prophecies are:
  • Farid: A great leader will die by his hand.
  • Mar’aqutt: She will know pain and will lose someone special to her.
  • Izdahar: She will have the ear of kings.
  • Yasmina: >Her future is very black.
  • Hakaad: His love for Yasmina will be his doom.
  • Zaki: He has “no future”.
  • Zafirah: She has greatness and sorrow in her future. She may live a long time and regret it.
Hakaad’s Birthday. He turns 24.
27th The party arrives at the ford of the Naher al-Sarif. They encounter and slay two manticores.
Arb’a (4)
3rd The party arrives in Enabar. The town’s mood is subdued as a result of the nearby war.
4th The party leaves Enabar.
6th The party battles a pair of goat devils. Later they encounter and defeat a mixed group (warriors and casters) of two dozen warforged. They leave the caravan route and travel overland from that point on, to avoid Genoshan troops.
8th The party witnesses (at a distance) a searing white blast and smoke column, as some unknown agent obliterates a Genoshan column of warforged and fire mages.
10th The party defeats four warforged scouts that they discover in the desert.
13th The party defeats a dust wight.
16th The party arrives outside a besieged Banja late at night. They hole up in a devastated villa.
17th Shortly after midnight, Tarun (a vampire minion of al-Sayid) meets the party. He sneaks them into town through the east gate, under the guise of invisibility.
22nd The party has dinner with al-Sayid.
25th The party joins with the city militia to scour the city sewers of invading warforged.
Khamsi (5)
1st The party aids in the defense of Banja, fighting fire elements at the city walls. The evening, al-Sayid tells the party that she believes she can break the siege, but only if they retrieve first one, and then another, item for her. The first in a tomb in Shishmet. Since the party cannot easily travel there by conventional means, she presents Hakaad with a scroll containing two Tunnel of Sand spells.
2nd The party magically travels to Shishmet. That evening, they are attacked in their camp by gravel elemental.
3rd The party conducts preliminary explorations at the Ziggurat of Sultan Eabani of Erech. Discovering indications of the presence of wights, they set traps and move on to other tombs (planning to return here after dark.) They return to the previously-visited tomb of Abdul-Haqq. Having cleaned out the tomb as far as the burial chamber foyer, they return to that point and prepare. Upon entering the tomb, they activate four animated statues, which they battle and defeat. Along with other treasures, Mar’aqutt acquires her pair of scimitars. They return to the ziggurat and lay in wait for the undead to make their appearance. Three wights and a wraith emerge and are trounced by the party. In the final chamber, they encounter a shadow with which Zafirah strikes up a conversation. She convinces it to depart w/o fighting, the party recovers a Hejleh (a “Lamentation Box”) for al-Sayid, and they use the other Tunnel of Sand spell to return to Banja just before midnight.
4th Traveling through a temporary gate created by al-Sayid (with the Lamentation Box and a blood sacrifice), the party arrives at a huge tower in Stygia, the 5th plane of Hell. They suffer a conversation with a thoroughly despicable little creature bearing the appearance of a midget court jester (complete with costume) being guarded by a cephalyx. After battling a pair of Kytons (Chain Devils) they recover a Sanguine Safe (a magically sealed crystal cylinder containing a greenish, glowing, roiling fluid; the soul of a powerful diabolical creature).
5th The party flees back through the gate and returns to Banja in the middle of the night. They collapse, exhausted. In the morning, part of the party (Hakaad, Yasmina, Mar’aqutt, and Farid) accompanies al-Sayid for a parley with the Genoshan commanders. They meet the Genoshan chief tactical, a Bleak General named Sanat Kumara Viscerix. In exchange for the return of his soul (now in the possession of al-Sayid), he agrees to end his assistance to the Genoshan host, much to the dismay of the Genoshan senior fire mages in attendance.
6th The siege of Banja ends with the departure of the surrounding Genoshan forces.
9th Zafirah begins training.
Zafirah’s birthday. She turns 21.
11th Zafirah completes training.
14th The Emir of Banja hosts a grand party to celebrate the end of the siege and to honor the “Liberators of Banja” (the party). While al-Sayid attends the party as an important city noble, she is conspicuously removed from the group of “heroes”.
17th Mar’aqutt takes delivery of her newly enchanted bow. The public unveiling of the statue of the “Liberators of Banja” takes place in the main square with much fanfare. Several party members are NOT pleased with the attention.
18th The party leaves Banja, bound for Karkemish. Mention of this long-abandoned dwarven stronghold was discovered by Izdahar while browsing in the library at the College of Heralds.
19th The party arrives in Dhofar in the evening.
20th The party departs Dhofar, headed for the ford to Al Arish. They arrive that afternoon.
21st The party departs Al Arish.
23rd The party arrives at Karkemish.
24th Mar’aqutt, Zafirah, and Ru’yan scout the mountain, all the way around the base.
25th The party enters the mountain. First they take two bugbears guarding the entrance by surprise, disarm them and send them off into the desert. Shortly afterwards, the free a caged (and hungry) bear. Mar’aqutt talks with him and suggests that he “follow” the two bugbears. The bear does so. By the end of the day, they’ve neutralized all the creatures occupying that level.
26th The party proceeds downwards to the Glitterhame and secures half of it.
27th The party is surprised by a giant catapult beetle that attacks their camp, but they prevail over it.
28th The party meets Figgen, a strange caterpillar-like creature with bizarre powers and a mercurial attitude. He seems to take a liking to them. They return into the mountain and engage in a desperate battle with a roper, which they defeat. With many injuries, they are forced to retreat from the mountain and rest for several days.
Sitti (6)
3rd The party returns to the mountain and defeat a group of Duergar attempting to rejuvenate the foundry.
5th The party engages and defeats a host of opponents: an allip, wight, skeletons, and a succubus.
6th The party heads back for civilization.
8th The party arrives at Al Arish to find the village mysteriously deserted. They investigate all the empty buildings, but can find no sign of the inhabitants or why they left. That night, while camp just outside the community, they see strange lights in the center of the village and stumble across a strange, pale, elf-like woman named Clyalushkotunaifentahovalisa (Clya, for short.) She is fleeing a group of creatures called Yuln-Coia (“life drinkers”), who have been sent to slay her and retrieve an artifact she stole from an evil Vashneeshti named Tavuishava. She claims he is planning to “destroy the world” (her world). The party decides to return with her to Talavaentela (“the City without End”) and seek help among other powerful Vashneeshti.
12th After four days of nerve-wracking caving, the party arrives in the caverns of the Endless City, and set forth on Celebra-malle’ (the Great Silver Road) to find the Grand Bazaar.
15th The party arrives at the Grand Bazaar where they meet Clya’s “Uncle Carnifex” (who turns out to be a doppelganger, although only Hakaad learns this). After lengthy discussion the party learns that there is a “back door” to Tavuishava’s work area. With help from the Ninhos (the “wet folk”), they may be able to travel there and enter undetected.
19th After four days of travel, and guided by a Ninhosin scout named Eshoway of the “Black Water People”, the party arrives at the protectors laboratory. They do battle with several of his mechanical “hollow knights”. Their attempt to sabotage his “great machine” fails, but they delay him long enough for other (good) protectors summoned by Clya to arrive. They pronounce sentence on him and destroy him.
22nd The party is escorted by a pair of protectors to a strange underground train which takes them back to the surface. As they exit from a cave into an open forest under sunny skies, the cave closes up behind them, leaving no sign that it ever existed. Finding that they are somewhere in the Pillars of the Sky, east of Maktaba al-Dahab, they saddle up and heads west.
23rd The party engages in a battle with four ogre barbarians. They triumph, but Mar’aqutt is slain.
24th Zaki expends an invested divine icon of Corean and raises Mar’aqutt from the dead.
25th The party encounters a colossal scorpion (the size of a large house). They give it a wide berth.
27th The party arrives at the remote village of Shagar al-Sakhr to find the entire population butchered in some gruesome ritual. They find mysterious text carved in a tree trunk:
      “The hidden come out from among the lords of flame and the Enolas will return to burn the sky.
      Beware the Queen in White”

They also meet the Warlock and Kat, who appear to be investigating the atrocity.
28th Late in the afternoon, the party arrives at Maktaba al-Dahab.
Sab’a (7)
1st The party is delighted to run into Salah. He joins them for dinner at their inn. The southern village of Al-Shibar is incinerated by “fired that rained from great cylinders in the sky.”
2nd The party dines with Haroushin, a priest of Hedrada. With conflict over the accuracy of the recently recovered book The Kingdom of Lions, Haroushin retains the party to enter the Mount of Forgiveness and recover the remains of Amakim Ibn Issad, the ancient king who authored the book.
3rd Led through the cemetery by a nervous gravedigger named Pervez, party enters the Mount of Forgiveness. While there, they encounter hordes of undead (mostly ghouls and ghasts), including a group of four vampires (two fighters, a rogue, and a spellcaster.) Two are slain, the other two escape. Then they return to town.
Zaki’s birthday. He turns 83.
4th Haroushin visits the inn first thing in the morning, pays the party 50% of the agreed fee and tells them “their services are no longer required.” He privately confides to Zaki and Farid that it is very much out of character for his superiors to abandon a task so important to the city and he doesn’t know why they are doing so. No sooner has he left than a man-servant enters the common area of the inn where Hakaad and Yasmina are breaking their fast. He presents Hakaad with a box, informs him, “This is a message from my master”, and then plunges a dagger into his own head. The box contains the severed head of one of the vampires that escaped the day before, along with a note that reads,

“As this ‘trophy’ demonstrates, I do not suffer failure lightly.
Tell your mistress that her minions performed well.
This round is hers.
And tell your fey warrior that on the day we meet face to face, she will draw her last breath.

- Enki”

Within the following hour, a servant of the Emir arrives with invitations for the entire party to attend a gala event in two days, where The Kingdom of Lions will be unveiled to the public for the first time.

6th The Emir’s party takes place. In addition to the Emir, there are several other individuals of note attending, including the Calipha, T’laar, and the Warlock (with Kat).
7th News of the destruction of Al-Shibar reaches Maktaba al-Dahab. Izdahar receives the following mysterious note from an archivist at the Golden Library,

“I have found a reference that may be of great interest to you. I have only a narrow window of opportunity for you to examine it. Please come to the library as soon as possible and ask for me by name.

Safi bint Ayna”

When Izdahar arrives at the library, she is taken to a locked cell in a sub-basement, where she is given the opportunity to read Book of Knives: Bloodlines of the Deathless in Vindarten. This being a history of vampires, written by vampires themselves. She spends most of the day reading the book, which is not allowed to leave the room. In the evening, after returning to the inn, Izdahar receives another message from Safi, saying she has more information and would Izdahar come to her home as soon as possible. Izdahar does so, but upon arriving, finds the front door ajar and no lights in the apartment. Sensing danger, she leaves without entering.
8th The party members are curious about their sudden dismissal regarding the Mount of Forgiveness. They leave the city with the supposed intention of returning to Banja.
9th After traveling a couple miles, the party circles back to the Mount. They are caught by local authorities when they attempt to sneak back into the cemetery. Great theatrics ensue. They manage to bluff their way clear and head underground. They explore extensively, encountering a number of bizarrely decorated burial chambers. They do battle with a groupof four Quth-Maren, who they dispatch. In a large natural cavern, split by a bottomless chasm, they encounter a Night Beast, apparently under the control of a black-clothed man on the far side of the fissure. This is Soon Sa-Nuq, a Deathmaster in the service of the Calipha. The party defeats the monster, but the man escapes. The party later discovers a large ornate hall, filled with all manner of minor undead. They are all in the thrall of a creature (a lich?) consisting of only a head, floating above a makeshift throne. When the party spots the late Amakim Ibn Issad and his brother in the front row of the “congregation”, they realize that they are in over their heads and they leave. They return to their camp site several miles from town, collect their horses and possessions, and return to Maktaba al-Dahab. They take lodging once again in the Library Inn.
10th A scholarly-appearing older man approaches Hakaad at breakfast. He introduces himself as Anwar ibn-Jibran and presents a letter of reference from Hakaad’s uncle Wazir. He wishes the party to meet someone. They are escorted to the citadel where they meet a warforged named Spiral. He defected from the Genoshan forces and wishes to help the other side in return for getting help to free his “brothers”. He reports that the Genoshan artificers have developed a new deadly poison gas they call the Ashen Storm. An entire village to the south was slaughtered to test the poison. Spiral says the Ashen Storm is being produced in a previously abandoned fortress call the Planar Citadel of Tausyr, which resides on the slopes of the volcano Jabal iHtaraq (just over 100 miles southeast of Genosha). Once the home of a mighty wizard, this ruin contains many portals to other planes, from which the raw ingredients are drawn to create the weapon. The party agrees to undertake its destruction, but must train first. Anwar agrees to foot the bill.
16th Having advertised for a man-servant, Hakaad hires Yusuf Abdul-Faisil ibn Mazhar.
18th Hakaad acquires a familiar, a mongoose named Rafiqah.
22nd Training completed, the party heads southwest (accompanied by Spiral on foot), guided by a half-elven woman ranger named Shahrazad bint-Nashwa.
24th The party encounters the airship Eclipse being harried by over a dozen mounted barbarians. They dispatch the brigands and are welcomed aboard the airship, which will transport them to the floating city of Eidolon. Within a few hours of boarding the airship, the party, ship, and crew begin to suffer the attacks of some mysterious assassin, who seems to be able to impersonate anyone he chooses. A running on-and-off battle continues into the night. Meanwhile, the Eclipse continues for forge ever eastward, towards Eidolon.
25th The battle with the assassin/saboteur continues unabated through the night. At one point, he manages to jam the ships rudder, forcing off course. With substantial effort, repairs are affected and the ship resumes its original heading. Finally, about mid-morning, the party manages to corner the villain in the Elemental Chamber of the ship. His resources depleted and all exits blocked, he teleports away to fight another day. In the early afternoon, the Eclipse arrives at Eidolon. Anith Aellamelé, a counselor of Eidolon (a striking elven woman with flowing black hair), accompanied by half a dozen armed and armored guards (wearing white, enameled plate armor with gold scrollwork), meets the party at the sky pier where the Eclipse docks. While Eidolon soldiers search the airship (in vain) for the saboteur, Anith escorts the party to comfortable quarters (with an enclosed garden area) where they rest, clean up, and generally refresh themselves. That evening, they attend an elegant dinner/conference. Aside from Anith, the following individuals are also present:
  1. Imam Aleasar Bey – representative of the Calipha of Shadazar.
  2. Jaleh Shahrivar Omid – female representative from Ha’lil (on behalf of Mistress Abia al-Hadeel, the governor of Ha’lil).
  3. Merrix d’Cannith – representative of the House Cannith.
  4. Sharajsha – Guardian of the Cathedrals (an ancient gold dragon).
  5. Wazir ibn Hassan al-Jarii – representative of the Second Compact (Hakaad’s uncle).
Each representative presents the position of the government/organization/agency that they represent, regarding interfering with the Genoshan war effort in general, and the assault on the Citadel of Tausyr in particular. None offer an objection of any consequence. The party is presented with ten enchanted Rings of Resistance and Adaptation which will, for a time, protect them from extreme environments and toxic agents. They are also given an ansible, a two-way audio/visual communications device. After discussing tactics, the party retires.
26th

Shortly after midnight, several members of the party are awakened by an apparent thunderclap. No alarm is raised, so they return to sleep. At breakfast that morning, they learn from Anith that the city was attacked in the night, by unknown forces. In short order, the party re-boards the Eclipse, which is tasked with dropping them as close to the citadel as possible, without being attacked by Genoshan forces. Prior to departure, they are informed that three other, similar, ships were also sent out in different directions, each as a decoy. Hopefully, this will help the Eclipse sneak deeper into Genoshan territory without detection.

Shortly afternoon, two metallic, dart-shaped aircraft (almost certainly of Genoshan original) are spotted in the distance, bearing down on the Eclipse from the east. Given that the Eclipse is a liner, rather than a fighting ship, the outcome looks bleak. With no warning, a huge golden winged shape dives out of the sun attacking the two enemy airships. Breathing fire, it sends one plunging into the sea and the other limping away, severely damaged. The golden dragon wheels back towards the Eclipse, where it ‘morphs into Sharajsha as it touches down on the main deck. He explains that he followed them out to inform them that one of the decoy airships has been destroyed and they should redouble their efforts at stealth. He wishes them good luck and good hunting, then he flies away. The rest of the day passes without incident.

28th

The Eclipse arrives roughly five miles east of the Citadel just before dawn. The party heads out about one hour after sunrise, heading into the toxic, volcanic region surrounding the ruined keep. With less than two miles to go, the party stumbles upon something that should not be: a grove of healthy trees, surrounding a grassy clearing, in an area of fresh air. Noticing that the myriad of wildflowers blooming in the clearing seem to run in straight lines, the party quickly realizes that they spell out, in huge letters, “’allo!” They realize that this oasis in such a poisoned area is almost certainly the work of Figgen, for no reason they can discern. Since the clearing has a small pool of fresh water, they leave their horses here and continue on foot.

The party reaches the main entrance to the citadel, only to find it well guarded by two dozen warforged and a pair of fire giants. They scout around the perimeter for a less well guarded entrance. An abandoned (but well-secured) tube of some kind slopes up into the basalt plug (on which the citadel is built). Even this entrance is guarded by six warforged, but the party decides they can be successfully eliminated. At the same time, Hakaad carries out a diversion at the main entrance.

Yasmina dimension doors Farid, Zafirah, and herself behind the six warforged for a surprise attack and then sand blasts them to oblivion. While Zafirah sets about opening the complex barrier on the tube, Hakaad, while invisible, spider-climbs part way up the face of the plug adjacent to the winding stairs of the main approach and the uses a stone to sand spell to dissolve the top platform, sending several fire giants to their doom. In the ensuing confusion, he escapes to rejoin the party.

Once Zafirah defeats the lock, the party climbs through it to come out in the base of one of the abandoned perimeter towers surrounding the keep. Climbing to the top, they cross a stone bridge and enter the keep proper. Battling fire giants, fire elements, and warforged, the party reaches the ground floor. In what was apparently a study, they find magic circle, set in the floor that radiates strong conjuration magic. Suspecting that it will take them to where they want to go, they all step into it and are instantly whisked to an identical circle in a small triangular room with no doors. Determining that they are in a network of teleport circles, they attempt mental control. After a bit if experimentation, they arrive in a small chamber with winding stairs down into the earth.

At the bottom, they exit into an underground intersection of two large corridors. Many secure metal doors line both sides of the corridor and a number of them have metal pipes coming out of the (at ground level) and converging in the single set that leads down the central passage. Following this, the party finds a great room containing a massive swirling vortex of light at its center. An arcane staff of some sort is set in a stone socket in the floor. As they study all of this, a red-robed man enters the chamber from a side passage, starts at the sight of the party, and flees back the way he came. The party pursues and encounters a group of Genoshan fire mages who they defeat in hard battle. Yasmina the uses her Wand of Disassembly on some of the machinery and Hakaad removes the staff from its socket. With a roar and an earthquake-like shuddering, the chamber comes apart.

The party falls and lands outdoors, in a grassy clearing, in a strange monochromatic world. After traveling towards a spot that might have a village, they encounter a tall, weather-worn man with the antlers of a deer. When Zaki addresses him as Herne the Hunter, the figure denies the identity, but indicates that he will guide them back to their own world. He informs the party that they have fallen into the Dreamlands at the edge of the Plane of Shadow. As they travel, their guide constantly changes appearance, but never anything familiar. The forest gradually assumes the consistency and appearance of glass, and eventually the party enters a hall of mirrors that show reflections of things past. Passing one mirror, Spiral sees his reflection point some sort of silvery tube at him. The tube spouts fire which leaves the mirror and vaporizes Spiral head. That party carries his body in the hope of restoring him.

Eventually, they find a mirror showing “Figgen’s grove”, where the horses were left. They step through the mirror and find themselves expelled from the pool in the clearing. In the distance, they can see the citadel is now nothing more than a smoking crater. They secure Spirals body to one of the horses and return to the Eclipse. Once aboard, the captain makes best speed towards Maktaba al-Dahab.

Quddam ali Saif Festival day.
Khalf ali Saif Festival day.
Tmany (8)
1st

The Eclipse drops the party off a few miles outside the city and departs. With Spirals body covered, the party re-enters the city and heads for the barracks. They leave Spirals body with Anwar, in the hopes that he can be restored somehow. Then, they return to the Library Inn, where Zaki finds the following note waiting in his pocket,

“Sharn knows me. Sharn fears me.”

No one can make heads or tails of it. Later, Anwar arrives in the company of two burly soldiers bearing a strongbox. It is the parties’ payment for a job well done and contains 2,000 dinar. Anwar wishes to hear the story of the parties exploit so they retire to a private dining room, Hakaad orders strong coffee and desserts for everyone, and Izdahar spins the tale.

2nd – 9th

The party rests and recuperates. Hakaad determines that the staff retrieved from Tausyrs’ citadel is a Staff of Passage and contains many powerful earth magiks. The party agrees that he would be best suited to wield it.

Ru-yan, Izdahar, and Zafirah pick up their “Figgen” parasol brooches, which they had commissioned earlier.

10th The party departs for Banja.
11th The party is attacked by two bulettes. They manage to slay both beasts, but not before Zaki is hurt and his pony (and one camel) is killed. They head back for Maktaba al-Dahab.
12th Farid’s birthday. He turns 25. (Unknown birthday.)
13th The party arrives back at Maktaba al-Dahab. Zaki secures another pony.
14th The party departs for Banja again.
18th The party arrives at the Oasis of the Rock and meets four members of the Clan of the Tall Grass. The nomads are participating in their Rite of Passage and are hunting Manticore.
19th The party and the Tall Grass clan members leave the oasis together, heading west.
20th The group arrives at the ford of the Naher al-Sarif. The party and clan members part company. The party fords the river and continues west. In the late afternoon, they encounter (and slay) three gorgons. They keep the horns.
21st

The party finds a caravan camel, still carrying its cargo (crates of ambergris), wandering loose. After backtracking it, they find the savaged remains of a caravan (horses, camels, and people) After scouting the area, they find another dead camel about one mile south of the caravan trail. Zaki says a prayer for the dead over the bodies and Hakaad buries them using his sand magic. They move on.

A short while later, they spot a red dragon bearing down on them. They take refuge in a narrow crevice, but it’s not deep enough to protect them from the dragons attack. They manage to drive it off, but not before Yasmina is seriously injured. Zaki heals her.

Several party members are overcome by the fierce midday heat and the party retreats to shade until the temperature drops in the afternoon. Once that happens, they mount up and track the dragon south about ten miles, where they come upon some old ruins, which they identify as all that is left of the Priory of Abu al Khayr, the Austere. After searching, they discover a pile of large rocks concealing a hole in the ground. Hakaad flows between the rocks in sand form, discovering the dragon in its lair beneath them. Unfortunately, the dragon spots him. Hakaad stalls for time, talking to the dragon. Eventually, too much time passes and Yasmina (accompanied by Farid) comes for him. They flee to the surface, followed by the angry dragon.

The party scatters. Hakaad manages to lead the dragon far enough away for the rest of the party to magically force open the dragon’s lair and take refuge inside. The dragon returns and follows them underground. With little room for the dragon to maneuver inside its lair, the party is on a more even footing. Even so, Farid and Zaki are almost killed before the dragon is slain. Wounds are bound, healing spells are cast, and the party spends the night in the dragons’ lair, counting treasure.

22nd Taking extra care to re-conceal the lair entrance, the party mounts up, returns north to the caravan trail, and then continues east.
24th The party arrives in Enabar in the evening. They distribute much of the salvaged caravan supplies to the villagers, who have suffered great deprivation due to the war.
25th The party departs Enabar for Dhofar. In the afternoon, the party comes across a pile of slain warforged next to the trail. Across the trail from the bodies as what appears to be a stoneshaped stele, honoring a group fallen in battle and dated a couple months earlier.
26th

The party stumbles across a stone golem, uncovered by a recent sandstorm. They manage to destroy it. Afterwards, Hakaad senses a chamber of some sort beneath the sand. The party digs for four hours and then gives up. They will have to wait until morning and use magic to penetrate the space.

That night, Hakaad has a horrible nightmare, in which Yasmina slaughters the entire party.

27th The next morning, Zaki uses stoneshape to create a passage below. The party descends into a small chamber complex where they are attacked by a dread wraith. They manage to defeat it. After leaving the chamber, Hakaad creates a stone cap over the opening, and then camouflages it with sand.
Ru-yan’s birthday. She turns 20.
28th The party arrives in Dhofar. The mood in the village is bleak. The battles between Genosha and the Calipha’s forces continue, only now the Calipha is using undead troops. There has been little caravan traffic because of the war and the village is in short supply of many basics. The party gifts them many items that were “salvaged” from the dragon-attacked caravan: linen, oil, camphor, and many kitchen items. Needless to say, the villagers are grateful.
Tis’a (9)
1st The party departs Dhofar, headed west to Banja. In the afternoon, they spot the tracks of numerous warforged on the caravan trail, along the large square-ish tracks of an unknown type. That evening, they make camp well away from the trail. As they begin to settle in for the night, they hear mechanical noises coming from the trail. When they investigate, they see the silhouette of some huge, hulking, box-like creature. It is casting about on the trail as if looking for tracks. Eventually it lumbers off into the desert to the south.
2nd The party breaks camp and resumes their trek westward. Having traveled less than a mile, they are surprised with the box-like mechanical monstrosity attacks. It is later determined to be a Slaughterstone Eviserator. Fortunately, Zaki is able to magically neutralize the mechanisms inherent spell resistance. Otherwise the party would probably have been… well… slaughtered. Instead, they vanquish it. After the dust of battle settles, they determine that the four large blades it wielded are apparently made of Adamantium. The party detaches them for possible sale or other use, once they reach Banja.
3rd In the afternoon, the party is surprised by five Harssaf who erupt out of the sand to attack them. Avoiding their inherent heat aura, the party moves back and volleys with ranged weapons. Ultimately, they kill one and the remaining four retreat.
4th The day passed without incident, but a strange incident takes place once the party makes camp for the evening. As they are settled around the campfire, al-Sayid appears out of the darkness. In and of itself, this is not especially surprising. However, she behaves in a most callous, demeaning, and condescending fashion towards all of the party members, which is very much out of character. She then turns and departs without further action.
5th The trail-weary travelers reach the walls of Banja at sunset. They head straight for the Golden Goblet (by now, their inn-of-choice) and secure rooms.
6th Hakaad is awakened by a mouse leaning on his sleeping wife’s breast. The mouse is wearing clothing (well, a fancy vest and little red fez) and it talks! He introduces himself as “Moustafa” (aka “Rick”) and has a proposition for Hakaad (and, presumably, the rest of the party.) He represents a small group of mice that occupy a deserted villa/estate in the nicer part of town. It is the former residence of one Nasir ibn-Muzaffar, an eccentric mage who vanished without warning a little over two years ago. The villa has remained derelict ever since as it is reputed to be “haunted” (a condition Rick and his friends work hard at perpetuating). Rick states that their repertoire is running a bit thin, so the prudent step is to find someone to take legal possession of the place and share it peacefully with the mice. Hakaad is definitely intrigued by the idea and takes initial steps to find out more about Muzaffar and his former residence (including exploring the building and grounds, to see what it consists of).

Meanwhile, Mar’aqutt goes shopping for some new clothes and hires a scribe to produce an invitation for Awad al-Majd (her dwarven swordsmith friend) to join her for dinner at a date of his convenience.

After a cursory exploration of Muzaffar’s villa, Hakaad returns to the inn and informs the party of his meeting with Rick and the offer that has been made. Discussion ensues.

7th The party “tours” Muzaffar’s villa. During this second visit, a hidden door is discovered that conceals stairs leading underground. The party investigates and discovers Muzaffar’s hidden laboratory and sanctum. One of the larger chambers contains an incredibly complicated set of overlapping magic circles inlaid in the floor. They need to be investigated with extreme caution.
8th The party discusses forming a company. They agree on Mar’aqutt’s proposed name “Sauf al-Sahar” (Swords of the Desert) and the emblem to go with it. Yasmina and Ru’yan arrange the formation of the company and sign the documents of incorporation (760 kiam).

Afterwards, Ru’yan and Yasmina arrange with a local silversmith to have party pins (bearing the company emblem) crafted for each party member.

9th Zaki and Hakaad complete the transfer of ownership of the estate to Sauf al-Sahar, and sign the title and deed (350 kiam).

Ru’yan and Zaki take red dragon hide to be tanned.

Mar’aqutt and Farid invite Awad al-Majd to dinner at the inn. They discuss Karkemish and the adamantine blades. Awad is intrigued and excited by both. After dinner, the three walk to the Temple of Corean (where the blades are being stored) and Awad inspects one. He offers to buy one blade (as part of a group of smiths) 8,400 dinar. Half to be paid upon delivery to his forge tomorrow and the balance within five days.

10th Farid and Mar’aqutt deliver the blade to Awad. They take the remaining three and secret them in the hidden chambers of the villa.

Mar’aqutt commissions Sudha’s magical collar (12,200 kiam), paid for by equal contributions from the entire party. She goes to Tamara bint Izar (a 6th level wizard) and also commissions her to bump Mar’aqutt’s Sand Dragon armor bonus to +3 (5,360 kiam). The armor will be ready on 9/16 and the collar will be ready on 10/4.

15th Mar’aqutt commissions a brass gate plaque (bearing the Sauf al-Sahar emblem) for the gate of the estate.
16th The company pins are collected from the silversmith and distributed. Ru’yan and Zaki take delivery of the tanned red dragon hide. They immediately take it to Radivang, an abrasive local armorer (reputed to be the best in town) to have +2 red dragon (leather) armor fashioned.

That afternoon, Mar’aqutt picks up her boosted armor.

Later that day, the party meets the family of four that will be serving the estate. They are Douban ibn-Rashid and Malika bint-Zara (father & mother), and Rasad bin-Douban and Adara bin-Malika (son & daughter).

22nd Mar’aqutt takes delivery of the brass plaque and has a craftsman mount it at the gate.
Ashra (10)
Izdahar’s enchanted abaya is ready. WHAT DAY WAS IT COMMISSIONED ON?
4th The villa repairs are finished and the party begins to move in. Mar’aqutt picks up Sudha’s collar.

Yasmina purchases two cure moderate wounds potions (2d8+3) from the temple of Madriel (300 kiam ea.) and commissions (via the college) three scrolls: one containing three Scrying spells (2,100 kiam – 7 min. ea. CL 7), the second containing three Knock spells (450 kiam – CL 3), and the third containing four Reduce Person spells (100 kiam – DC 15, CL 3).

5th Zaki receives a message/summons from the temple, informing him that he is to be promoted to the position of “Vicar Geron” of Corean. The ceremony is to be held at dawn on the 7th.

Yasmina arranges (through Zafirah) to meet with a member of the thieves guild who can introduce her to a member of the assassins guild. She buys 2 doses of Sundew poison (3,600 kiam). She returns to the college to collect her three scrolls.

7th Zaki is ordained “Vicar Geron of Corean” in a lengthy, half-day ceremony. The party is pleased to find Salah in the congregation. He introduces three friends: two half-orcs (Gorchak and Mugchuk) and a Rmoahal (Roegir), all of whom are also Farisi of Corean. The group invites the four of them back to the villa for lunch. Izdahar heads home ahead of the group, to make sure the staff prepare sufficient for the larger group.

Yasmina begins a night vigil, scrying on al-Sayid’s villa, in the hope of seeing the door to the in-between in use.

9th Success. She views the door being opened. She records the sequence on a parchment and retires for the night.
12th The deed is done. Yasmina Dimension Doors into the temple, uses a Knock spell to open the high priestesses cell, and poisons her before she can awaken. She then does the same to the rector (the high priestesses “2nd in command”). After both are paralyzed, she drags the rector into the high priestesses room, closes the doors to both cells; she casts Reduce Person on each victim and stuffs them into the bag of holding. When this is done, she Dimension Doors directly to al-Sayid’s cellar, opens the door to the in-between, and casts the two women into the void. She then closes the door and Dimension Doors as far towards the villa as her spell will reach, walking the rest of the way home.
13th Al-Sayid arrives at the villa after dark and demands to speak with Yasmina alone. A tense 15-minute conversation ensues on the veranda after which al-Sayid leaves.
14th Sauf al-Sahar hosts a dinner party for the “Who’s Who” of Banja.
16th Early in the morning, Imam Aleasar Bey (flanked by two Inquisitors of Barid) arrives at the villa and questions Hakaad & Co. regarding the disappearance of two senior clergy of the Temple of Barid in Banja. He employs some sort of “truth field” to detect lies, but hears none. Fortunately for all involved, Yasmina is not present and thus avoids the interrogation. Bey leaves sullen and thwarted.

Later that day, Izdahar commissions a masterwork harpsichord for the villa (craftsman?) at a cost of 690 kiam.

17th Farid completes his adamantium long sword.

The elders of the Temple of Corean request that Zaki and Farid represent Corean at the ordination of a new faris into the Order of Holy Sentinels at the Citadel of St. Haroun. Located near the small village of Shahmirzad, the citadel is situated on the lip of “The Tear”, overlooking the Kutaiba Rift. This fortress houses the Demonshield, an artifact which keeps the Tear (a conduit to the Abyss) sealed, as long as it is manned by one of the Holy Sentinels.

18th The party leaves for Shahmirzad.
23rd The party arrives at Shahmirzad.
24th The ceremony is interrupted by a massive demon attack. The battle of the Citadel of St. Haroun begins.
25th The battle ends late in the day. A brief but terrifying visitation from Dispater comes to the party near the end of the battle.

As a token of gratitude for helping to defend the citadel, Izdahar is gifted a copy of al-Azraki’s Demonic Taxonomy by the author, Malik al-Azraki.

26th The party departs Shahmirzad, to return to Banja.
Hed’ash (11)
3rd The party arrives home in Banja.
5th Party members begin training for new levels. Hakaad commissions a masterwork quiver for Mar’aqutt, to be used to craft an Efficient Quiver for her.
7th Hakaad, Izdahar, and Zafirah pay a visit to al-Sayid to discuss the disturbing appearance of Dispater during the battle of the Citadel of St. Haroun. Upon arriving at her villa, they witness the departure of an apparent celestial who al-Sayid addresses as “Morningstar”. After a brief talk with al-Sayid, the party leaves with little new information to show.
13th Training for the last party members is completed.
15th Autumn Equinox.
Calipha’s Celebration of Ascension.
18th The party attends a Tournament of Valor at the Temple of Corean. Farid, Mar’aqutt, and Zaki all participate in the tournament. After multiple single-elimination matches, Farid is declared Grand Champion and awarded a magic spear named “True Flight”.

Later, the group meets a local wizardess, Gayda Johara, who asks that they visit her at her residence (tower) that evening. When they arrive, Gayda requests that they covertly deliver a collection of books and a small artifact to a rawuna friend named Zubaidah al-Noor (a member of the mysterious Pipers) for transport to al-Jarii.

19th The party arrives at the Magic Carpet, a seedy tavern near the docks, to meet with Gayda’s friend and deliver the items. They are met by a Genoshan female fire mage (Zohruna al-Naj) who has slain Zubaidah and taken her place (using an Alter Self spell to change her appearance.) After a back and forth, a fight breaks out between the party, Zohruna, a vicious Genosha fighting woman, four fire mages, and a dozen Genoshan troops.

With the aid of a small group of Farisi of Uhler, the party manages to slip out the back and take refuge in a nearby abandoned warehouse. Shortly thereafter, the Genoshans discover them and the party escapes again (this time, into the sewers) while the farisi of Uhler fight a rearguard holding action (to their deaths as the warehouse burns down around them.)

In the sewers, the party discovers a seemingly impenetrable glass vault, apparently full of treasure, and meets Naji ibn-Othman, Guildmaster of the Ravenclaws (a more secretive offshoot of the thieves’ guild who take a more “Robin Hood” approach to their craft.) Introductions are barely made around when another mage who wants the artifact, Zayd ibn-Zayd, blasts through a wall into the room (with four hell hounds) and launches an overwhelming attack. The party seems barely a match for him when Gayda appears, accompanied by Archmage Ra’id ibn Arrahn al-Zarr, the White Mage of al-Jarii. Together with the party, they make short work of ibn-Zayd. The White Mage takes possession of the books carried by the party. It turns out that one of the books was the real artifact. He and Gayda offer their profound thanks and al-Zarr presents Yasmina with ibn-Zayds Thunderstaff.

The party, accompanied by the White Mage, leaves the sewers and head for the temple of Corean, where they spend the night. The White Mage spends a considerable amount of time conferring (in private) with Abdul Massih Saadi, the High Priest of Corean.

20th The White Mage departs for al-Jarii. The party returns home to the villa. Hakaad takes possession of the masterwork quiver and begins to enchant it for Mar’aqutt. At dinner that evening, the party puts forth various plans to penetrate the treasure-filled “glass vault”.
21st Hakaad completes enchanting Mar’aqutt’s quiver. Zafirah commissions a masterwork composite short bow, built to take advantage of her strength bonus (craftsman?). It will be ready on 12/21 and will cost 675 SP.

Izdahar takes possession of her harpsichord and has it placed in her private room.

A message is delivered to the villa for Hakaad, from al-Sayid. She advises him that she has captured a “Slight” (no details) which is the creature that visited the party camp on 9/4, appearing as al-Sayid. It is being “interrogated”. No further information is forthcoming.

22nd Hakaad, Yasmina, Mar’aqutt, Ru’yan, Farid, and Yusef ride south of Banja, roughly a day’s travel towards Tabuk. Using his spells, Hakaad raises a 50-foot high, four-story tower, just west of the caravan trail, just to see if he can do it. He succeeds and leaves it there for future travelers to puzzle over. The group spends the night in the new building.
23rd Hakaad & Co. return to Banja, arriving in the early evening.
24th The party returns to the sewers and investigates the glass vault, using various spells to attempt to discern its mysteries.
25th Using various spells and magic items, Yasmina penetrates the glass vault and strips it of all valuable contents for the party. Everything is taken back to the villa, where it is sorted, counted, and identified. This goes on into the evening.

Just as the party finishes “counting their booty”, the Warlock and Cat arrive unannounced. Cat is very unhappy about something that is about to take place. With little fanfare, the Warlock gathers the party around, conjures with his staff, and transports them to the Banja of one hundred years in the future. The city is engulfed in flames, a lava river courses where the Naher Al-Sarif once flowed, and flakes of fire fall from the sky like snow. The city has clearly been annexed into Hell. When asked what/who did this, the Warlock points at Yasmina and replies, “She did.”

After a brief explanation, the Warlock returns the party to their own time. Upon returning, he quickly gathers up Kat (who seems very reluctant to leave so suddenly) and they both vanish, leaving behind a pair of magic circle sand paintings (one large and one smell) that were (apparently) used for the time travel. While the party tries to assimilate the events that have just transpired, there is a blinding flash on the southern horizon (many, many miles beyond the city walls), which fades away to a diming ball of fire. Within moments a hot wind arrives, blowing open the doors of the atrium and obliterating the sand circles on the floor. Some of the sand from the smaller circle (that which was used by Kat) remains, forming the words “SEEK ABANAZAR”. Izdahar knows the tale of Abanazar, the vitrean seer, and relates it to the party. Following the Warlocks declaration of Yasmina's actions precipitating the future events, she flies into a rage, stomps off to her bedroom and loudly throws a fit (along with everything else that’s not nailed down.) After allowing her to vent for a time, Hakaad goes to her and attempts to soothe her.

26th At breakfast the next morning, the party discusses the events of the night before and, after much heated debate, decides to journey to the oracle Abanazar to seek her wisdom. They spend the rest of the day, and the next two, acquiring supplies for the long trip.
Tnash (12)
1st The party departs Banja, headed north towards Qasser Hilai. They arrive that evening and stay the night at the Lion’s Lair Inn.
2nd The party departs Qasser Hilai, headed north towards Tulkarah. They camp on the road that night.
3rd The party arrives that evening in Tulkarah and stay the night at the Weary Wizard Inn.
4th The party departs Tulkarah, headed north towards Tajiq. In the afternoon, they pass a construction party repairing a stonework bridge over a deep wadi. The work is being done by slave labor, consisting of equal parts human prisoners, undead (zombies mostly), and warforged POWs. Most of the warforged are damaged, some severely, but they still seem to be able to function, in spite of the handicaps. The party camps on the road that night.
5th The party arrives in Tajiq that evening.
7th The party departs Tajiq, headed west towards Tabraqah. They spend the next two nights camping alongside the road.
8th The party arrives in Tabraqah in the evening. They stay at the Sleeping Squirrel Inn.
9th The party departs Tabraqah, heading west for Obari. They camp on the road that night.
10th The party arrives in Obari in the evening and stay at the Wolf’s Den Inn.
Yasmina’s birthday. She turns 18.
11th The party departs Obari, heading west towards Rifaa. They spend that night, and the next, on the road.
13th Mid-morning, the party is attacked by a giant sand worm. In spite of its size and power, they make short work of it and sustain no injuries whatsoever. That early afternoon, they arrive and seek lodging at the Inn of the Silver Lamp. Rafee, the innkeeper, is delighted to see them again. As they settle in, he takes Hakaad aside and informs him that the “little ones” have been asking about him (obviously referring to the kobolds of Citadel al-Lail aka the Sunken Citadel.) The party decides to go out and visit them (the distance is only about an hour on horseback) and, upon their arrival, are warmly greeted by Meepo (now leader of the tribe) and his people. While there, they learn that the kobolds have a vast tunnel network all over beneath al-Karag, and actually extend into Genosha.

Food for thought.

14th The party departs Rifaa, heading west towards Al-Khafra. They camp on the road that night.
15th In the later morning, the party encounters a janni named Fadil ibn Fadil, who claims to be a rawun among his own people. After a hesitant introduction, he travels along with the party for the remainder of the day, exchanging songs and stories with Izdahar, much to her delight. That even, when the party stops to make camp, he informs them that he is off to explore the night sky, but will rejoin them in the morning.
17th Late in the afternoon, the party encounters a small number of desiccated bodies (people and horses) on the caravan trail. No immediate cause is evident but Mar’aqutt finds footprints that look like they were left by bandaged feet. That night, just before midnight, the party is attacked by eight salt mummies. They are slain without significant injury to the party.
18th Late in the afternoon, the party arrives in Al Khafra. They spend the night at the Wyvern’s Rest Inn.
19th Mar’aqutt’s birthday. She turns 111.
The party leaves Al Khafra in the morning. After an uneventful day of travel, they arrive in Ahfir and acquire lodging at the Sleeping Sphinx Inn. Mar’aqutt provides sweet treats for the party in celebration of her birthday.
21st The party arrives in Al Ahmadi and secures lodging at the Shining Arrow Inn.
22nd The party leaves Al Ahmadi.
24th The party arrives at the Naher Al-Buni Bridge into Arak and are stopped by city guards. The city is overrun by refugees from the south and the guards are reluctant to allow still more people into the city. Hakaad badgers their way in and Yasmina guides them to her “home”. She is greeted warmer by Zolika, her father’s housekeeper. With Yasmina’s disappearance and the death of her father, her uncle has assumed possession of the family business and all properties and possessions. Yasmina is not troubled by this and writes her uncle a letter formally transferring ownership to him and wishing him well. She arranges for a number of items of personal value to be collected from the family villa, packed, and shipped home to Banja.
25th Zaki and Farid visit the temple of Corean, and Mar’aqutt visits the temple of D’Shan, to pay homage, tithe, and seek information about events in the south. Few details are forthcoming. Additional supplies are also acquired (at substantially elevated costs.)
26th The party departs Arak, headed south.
27th Mid-morning, the party encounters a mixed group of mid-level bandits (fighter, cleric, sorcerer, and several rogues) posing as “tax collectors”. A fierce, but brief firefight ensues. When the dust settles, one bandit has fled and the rest are slain. The party suffers many and varied injuries, but none that Zaki cannot tend to.
28th The party arrives in Sebata in the early evening. They stay at the Gull & Griffin Inn.
Tlata’sh (13)
1st The party departs Sebata, heading south. After an uneventful day, they camp by the trail.
2nd Mid-morning, the party comes within sight of the tiny community of Aqla. They witness the population (304 men, women, and children) being systematically exterminated by a heavy platoon of Caliphate soldiers. The party intervenes on behalf of the villagers; a brief but bloody battle ensues. When the dust settles, half the villagers are dead (by the soldiers’ hands) and all the soldiers are dead (by the parties’ hands.)

Yasmina teleports back to Banja, in preparation to jump to Sebata (to purchase wagons and teams for evacuation of the remaining villagers.) While Izdahar helps coordinate the villagers’ preparation to flee their homes, the balance of the party strip the soldiers, and then Hakaad buries them in a stone-capped pit outside the village. The night passes uneasily.

3rd In the morning, Zaki casts Speak with Dead on the platoon commander, who is then questioned about the disposition of other troops in the area, how long before this contingent is missed, where were their next targets, and so on. The party learns that three additional villages (Tebissa, Salis, and Haydrah) are also to be eliminated. Once the interrogation is complete, Hakaad disintegrates the body. At that point, Yasmina returns, with Gayda Johara and Archmage Ra’id ibn Arrahn al-Zarr, the White Mage of al-Jarii. After brief greetings, al-Zarr selects a small building and creates a Teleportation Circle, though which the entire surviving compliment of villagers are evacuated. Before they leave, the White Mage gives Hakaad a bag containing two scroll tubes. Each tube contains a scroll, and each scroll contains three copies of the Shrink Item spell and inks for transferring one to a spell book. Once evacuees are gone, the party spends several hours reluctantly putting all the village structures (and bodies of the innocent dead) to the torch, to provide the illusion that the soldiers did their job (so no one will look for survivors.)

When finished, the party travels several miles south of the village site and camps for the night. Yasmina teleports herself and Hakaad back to Banja and spend the night in the villa. Zaki begins using the Remove Scar spell to “unbrand” the soldiers horses. He will do five per day until all are no longer branded.

4th Yasmina teleports back to the party, while Hakaad stays behind and spends the entire day studying the scrolls, in preparation for learning the Shrink Item spell (and copying it into his spell book.) The party travels south all day (without incident). That evening, after camp is set, Yasmina teleports briefly back to Banja again, and returns with Hakaad (who has successfully learned the Shrink Item spell.)
5th Mid-morning, the party encounters an Angel of Decay and, after the initial shock of the meeting, manages to destroy it. That night, on second watch, Mar’aqutt witnesses a mysterious exodus of many Gargun from the al-Karag. Over one hundred of them appear to have swum across the river and are headed west. The next morning, she relates what she saw to the rest of the party. Several theories are put forth as to the cause, but nothing is determined. Hakaad begins “shrinking” the horses. He will do six per day until all fifty-plus of the soldiers horses are “pocket-sized”.
6th Late morning, the party arrives in the tiny village of Tebissa, the next target on the soldiers “hit list”. After knocking on the door of one of the homes, they have a brief exchange with a frightened woman inside, who directs them to the “Farder” just down the street. They present themselves at the indicated residence and meet an older man with a heavily scarred face and a blind right eye. After explaining to him that the village must be evacuated (like Aqla), the man insists that no one will leave and none of the villagers will be harmed. When pressed for an explanation, he leads them down the street to a large stone next to the village well. He requests Mar’aqutt to return to the northern edge of the community and fire an arrow at him from there. Just before she fires, he places his hand on the stone. To everyone’s amazement, the arrow shatters prior to crossing into the village proper. When Mar’aqutt walks up to that point, she encounters a completely solid invisible barrier, which then dissipates once the man stops touching the stone. Convinced that the village can (more or less) fend for itself, the party continues on to Ba Qoubah, arriving two hours later.

To avoid being too conspicuous, the group decides that Yasmina, Zafirah, and Izdahar will enter the town while the rest of the party will herd the horses around the west of the city. The two groups will rejoin on the caravan trail to the south.

The three women find little activity outside the city, but upon entering, find it overflowing with humanity. After interacting with a number of locals, Izdahar finds that everyone is afraid to leave. Rumors fly back and forth about dangers both north and south. After picketing the horses south of the city, Zaki and Farid visit the temple of Corean, as they have been tasked by the temple in Arak to find out why no contact has come from Ba Qoubah in several weeks. They discover from the high priest that all divine and arcane attempts to contact temples in other cities have failed completely. Three messengers have been sent north and all have apparently vanished without a trace.

After relaying this news to the party, another discovery is made. The ansible is completely non-functional (although, based on Yasmina’s Vatic Gaze, still enchanted.) Yasmina also finds that none of her teleportation-like spells will work. After journeying about two miles south of the city, the ansible begins to function normally. Careful examination moving back towards the city demonstrates that the “damping” effect begins almost exactly one mile from the city gates. Suspecting that some device or agent, centered in the city, is causing the damping field, Mar’aqutt suggests traversing the perimeter of the city, starting away from the river, to see if the effect is circular. After navigating about half a mile clockwise around the city, the group spies a grapefruit-sized metal sphere buried in the ground. After kicking away the dirt, they see that it is tightly covered with all manner of runes and glyphs related to the negation of scrying and arcane travel. It apparently also radiates some kind of fear effect (Hakaad, Izdahar and Sudha are all effected.) Mar’aqutt goes to fetch Farid, taking Izdahar with her. (Zaki, Farid, and Zafirah all remained with the herd of animals prior to this point.) Mar’aqutt returns with Farid who, as a powerful faris, is immune to all effects of fear. At this point, Yasmina teases the sphere into a bag and ties it onto her horse for further examination later. Continuing on around the city, a second identical sphere is discovered roughly two hundred yards beyond the first. After discovering the second sphere, the group returns to their “camp”, whereupon they further examine the bagged sphere. Following some brief experimentation, they determine that it radiates a singular damping field to a distance of roughly 50-feet. Apparently, when used in conjunction with others of its type, the effect is amplified.

7th In the morning, Zaki casts Commune. Some mysteries are cleared up and other new ones appear. After some discussion, it’s decided that Farid (and Zaki) will attempt the “messenger gambit” to see if they can find out what is happening to the messengers sent north from Ba Quobah. They re-enter the city and spend the night at the temple while the rest of the party (and their herd of 50+ horses) circle the city to the west and make camp just north of town.
8th Six efreets ambush Farid and Zaki just north of Tebissa but, with the backup from the rest of the party, they are defeated. All but one are killed. The remaining efreeti is persuaded to answer a few questions (four) in exchange for his release. The party learns little, other than the orders are coming from “higher-ups” in the City of Brass.

Afterwards, Yasmina teleports to Arak with Farid, to deliver the messages. They return directly and the party moves back south of town.

9th Another commune is cast. The last three questions are left for personal use. Yasmina finds that her revenge will never be satisfied, Hakaad learns the vision presented by the Warlock was reality (potentially), and Farid learns that his personal prophecy (to slay a great leader) has not yet been fulfilled. The party decides to break camp and continue south on their original mission.
11th Mid-afternoon, the party enters the tiny village of Salis. It is completely evacuated.
12th An hour after breaking camp, the party encounters a single Thanadaemon. He claims he has come to exact revenge for all the demons slaughtered by the party at the battle of the Keep of St. Haroun. He is defeated, but not before he inflicts three negative levels of damage on Farid.
13th Farid (and the rest of the party) is relieved to discover that the damage done by the Thanadaemon is apparently not permanent. The group breaks camp and heads south. Later in the morning, Hoosha indicates to Izdahar that she has found something to the east. Following her through a cottonwood ticket (bordering both sides of a shallow dry wadi), Mar’aqutt and Zafirah spy a huge recumbent figure roughly 1½ miles east of the caravan trail. Joined by the rest of the party, they find that this figure is an 80’ tall metal statue/golem/construct, covered with mystic runes, and completely inert. Hakaad excavates the bulk of the figure with his sand spells and then the party examines it in detail. The metal creation certainly predates the War of the Mage-Kings and appears to have been commissioned at the behest of Nar Devilan. A hidden plate, perhaps 9” in diameter, is discovered on the back of the statues left shoulder. It will not move for anyone save Hakaad. When he places his hand/palm on it, it rotates slightly and then comes free. On the flat inner surface, a message is engraved:

Father - I hope it is you who finds this. If so, then the day of our reunion is soon at hand.
– In anticipation, Azzer

Hakaad keeps the plate.

Shortly thereafter, Zafirah finds a hidden hatch in the statues chest. Hakaad “knocks” it open. Inside, at the back of a shallow shaft, a 6” glowing cube is attached to a round metal base. The object is freed from its setting by Yasmina (using the Wand of Disassembly), but the round base cannot be separated from the cube so the group takes the entire combination out.

An Identify spell by Izdahar reveals only that it is a flawless quartz cube, but a Legend Lore (also by Izdahar) identifies it as one of the five Formless Wells of Shayar. Hakaad stows this in his backpack as well.

Yasmina and Hakaad have a brief, private, and very tense discussion during which she reveals to him that she lost their unborn child during her captivity and torture by the Calipha. After some personal deliberation, Hakaad informs the rest of the party, as the information may be germane to the inscription on the plate.

14th The party arrives at Dair al-Zour around mid-day, pauses briefly to replenish what supplies they can, and then proceeds out of town. They cross the Naher Al-Buni bridge and continue south on the caravan road.
15th Shortly after midnight, while Farid is on watch, he spies an oddly shaped figure investigating Hakaad’s backpack. It is Figgen. After a brief and typically disjointed conversation, the group finds that Figgen is only interested in the mundane metal baseplate for the cube. He effortlessly separates the cube from its base (something the party as so far been unable to do) and vanishes, but not before he whispers to Hakaad, “The son also rises.” He leaves the cube.

Later that same morning, a very large sand dragon erupts from the sandy roadbed in front of the party. A frantic battle ensues and the creature is defeated, but not before it almost kills Farid. He (and the other injured party members) are healed, consuming the bulk of Zakis’ healing spells for the day. The party spends most of the day skinning and dismembering the dragon for valuable parts, but are back underway by mid-afternoon. They travel for less than an hour when they spy another dragon (red and airborne) headed their way. Before it can close on them, it abruptly turns 180 and flies away at top speed. The party learns why when a HUGE roc dives onto the dragon, snags it with its claws, and sails off east (presumably to dine on its catch.)

Later, it starts to drizzle (with no measureable accumulation.)

16th Other than passing a few travelers headed north, nothing is encountered during this day. However, after the party has made camp for the night and finished their evening meal, a stranger approaches the camp on foot. Asking only to warm himself by their fire for a brief time, he introduces himself as Oraios. He says that he is a courier, delivering messages for his master. He makes oblique references to Corean, but never by name. He merely advises the group to be aware that some who appear as allies may be enemies, and visa-versa. Eventually, he stands, thanks the group for their warmth and company, and walks off into the night.
17th The day passes uneventfully and the party arrives in Karuk at dusk. They arrange for lodging at the Brass Lizard Inn and stable their horses and pack animals at Kalid’s Stable nearby. Izdahar is delighted to discover that Bakir El Tawîl Tarîq, a famous and well-travelled rawun, is also staying at the inn. She introduces herself, plies him with drinks, and engages him in lively conversation long into the night. Before the war, Bakir was welcome in Genosha and he cannot understand why they would engage so enthusiastically in this conflict, given how devastating it is for their economy (exports of iron and iron-based products in particular.) He comments that Mash’al ibn Munir al-Khalid (“The Whirlwind of Flame”) was rumored to have been “acting strange” prior to the initiation of hostilities; ignoring the counsel of advisors in the Ember Court, talking to himself, not sleeping, and so on. Bakir also notes that the cemeteries in the Caliphate are almost vacant, as the Calipha has been emptying them out to swell the ranks of her undead armies. Izdahar also learns that Bakir traveled near the Valley of Shards many years ago and persuades him to draw a rough map and route from Benshar to the valley. The two trade many additional stories and songs before she finally excuses herself and wanders off to bed.
18th The party leaves Karuk, heading south towards Benshar. The entire day passes w/o incident.
19th Mid-day, the party spies a large, golden figure ahead, sitting on a huge rock next the caravan road. Upon closer approach, they realize that it is a Marut (an Inevitable from the plane of Mechanus.) It appears to ignore them as they pass it by gingerly.

Late afternoon, the party enters Benshar. They secure lodging in the Brass Cup Inn and stable their animals nearby (Kated’s? Stables).

20th The party tops of their provisions (at ruinous prices) and, following Bakirs’ map, strike off into the southern wilderness.
21st The party wakes to rain and it stays with them until well after dusk.
22nd The day passes w/o incident and the party finds a small patch of stone ruins where they make camp for the night. Near the beginning of first watch, the camp is attacked by a mummy lord. Battle is brief as Hakaad disintegrates it. Mar’aqutt and Zafirah track back to its lair nearby, but find nothing of value there.
26th The party approaches the Valley of Shards. Late in the day, they encounter a pride of lions, and other lesser scavengers, feeding on the carcass of a sand dragon. After scattering the carnivores they examine the corpse and determine that it sliced itself to pieces attempting to burrow through the obsidian shard-laced earth. What prompted it to do this is a mystery.

When the party makes camp that even, Hakaad’s Tremorsense registers a faint “thump” from somewhere nearby underground. There is only a single occurrence and no other event follows. Even so, Hakaad creates a slab of salt for the party to camp upon, to help deter any attack from below.

Arbata’sh (14)
1st The party finally reaches the cave of Abanazar, the Vitrian Seer. Upon first entering the cave, they find nothing but a dead end. Then, gradually, an opening appears in the back wall of the cavern. This exits the cave onto a hillside overlooking a small village below. As the party inspects their new surroundings, a mild and brief earthquake occurs. Almost immediately following its cessation, billows of smoke begin to rise from the village. The party races down the hill. By the time they reach the village, the smoke has subsided to just a few wisps rising from a single incinerated building. The rest of the village seems completely deserted, save for a single old man, who sits on a low wall adjacent to the burned building and sucking on a water pipe. All he will say is “Too late. Too late.” Gradually, as the party watches, smoke begins to curl up from one of his slippers and shortly, flames begin to lick up his leg. He seems oblivious to this danger and continues to watch the party. While the rest of the group stands transfixed, Mar’aqutt rushes forward with the Canteen of Endless Water and douses the flames.

At last,” says the old man, “At last. Someone with compassion has come.” He gestures back up the hill towards the cave. “She will see you now.”

The party returns to the cave through the temporary opening (which silently closes behind them) and discovers the obsidian statue of the oracle now sitting in the previously empty cave. Before they can pose a single question, she begins to speak. She offers a long, rambling, and confusing prophecy and then is silent.

Seven weary heroes,
Stalwart, true, and brave,
Must strive and fight, or all you love
Will burn beyond your grave.

When morning sun doth warm thy chest,
A sinister direction trace.
To barren tree on barren hill,
Then tarry in that desert place.

When stills all voices wild at last,
Once more turn to sun’s first rays.
Journey cross the burning sands,
‘Til way is barred by rocky maze.

The shade is cool, the walls are high,
The proper path is most unclear.
Search ye long and search ye wide,
For pillars of Irem to appear.

Seek ye Kadars throne of old,
Swallowed by sand in war arcane,
Once splendored home of brave and bold,
Now slumbers ‘neath a blasted plain.

First to the grave of al-Sirak,
Then hie thee hence to deserts drain,
Down waters course in yawning black,
Seek Drendars Voice in blackguards’ fane.

Let its divination guide you,
Far beyond the world you know,
Razors edge and mist all lead
To wondrous strange green lands below.

Find Vangals’ redoubt, break the seal,
Slay the beast that guards the flaw,
Through that opening, find the key,
Take it from the backwards paw.

Race the wind with captured key,
Use her eye to see the way.
Deep beneath the twisted city,
Meet your doom in vault of clay.

Seek the sleeper underground,
Who wills of fire and iron bends.
Crush you there his crystal crown,
See his life malefic ends.

Only then will tensions fade,
Stanching blood of wars discord.
Time enough for love betrayed,
When Farid wields the ebony sword.

Nothing further is forthcoming from her. The party leaves the cavern and returns to their animals, to find a campsite for the night and puzzle over her strange words.

2nd Izdahar’s birthday. She turns 18.
The party heads north, per the first part of the oracles instructions.
7th The party continues north. The grasslands and scrub give way once again to deep desert. The mules are shrunk and packed away, to be replaced by camels more suited to the terrain.
10th Mid-day, the party spies a small low hill with a single dead tree at its summit. They make camp at the western base of the hill and wait for another revelation.
11th In an attempt to decide what to do next, Zaki casts a Divination spell for the party. The message he receives is “Silence is paramount”. Puzzled by this vague instruction, the party elects to remain here until something of note occurs. Mar’aqutt (with Sudha) goes hunting and bags a small antelope (Ibex). Upon her return (from east of the hill), she spies a small opening in a scree slope on the east face of the hill. The rest of the party is notified of this new discovery. While Hakaad remains in camp, studying to learn the Phase Door spell, several of the other party members go to explore what is found to be a very strange metal dungeon-like cavity back into the hill.
12th The group continues to explore the strange, short dungeon. Many discoveries are made, but none that make any sense. Hakaad, using his Xorn Movement spell, circumnavigates the metal dungeon and determines its rough external outline. Zafirah explores one small compartment/chamber (which appears to be sleeping quarters.) She finds some clothing of a very odd style, include strange cloth hat with a patch on the front that has embroidered (but unknown) writing. A comprehension spell determines that the patch reads “M.V. Stahlhammer / ISR 317492”. This means nothing to any of the party members. A Little more is learned. The party increasingly wonders if this is important and should continue to be investigated, or whether it is merely a distraction.
13th This morning, Zaki casts Divination again. This time, the message is “Do not stray from your course.” A short while later, the party is rewarded by a total solar eclipse which briefly reveals a sparkling desert road, starting at the east base of the hill and leading to the eastern horizon, straight as an arrow. As the eclipse passes, so does the sparkling road, but not before Mar’aqutt can firmly fix the directional information in her mind. The party breaks camp and heads east.
14th Mid-afternoon, the party comes across is single solitary stone tower in the middle of the wilderness. 40-feet tall and 30-feet in diameter, it appears to only have two entrances; a solid oak and iron door at ground level, and an open doorway from a small balcony roughly 30-feet up the wall. Farid tries to force open the lower door, but fails, as does a Knock spell by Hakaad. Hakaad then casts Pillar of Sand and lifts the entire party (save for Sudha) up to the level of the balcony. Once they can see the open doorway clearly, they also see, to their dismay, a glowing blue mystic sigil on its threshold. It is a Symbol of Death. Most of the party manages to avert their gaze or resist its necromantic influence, but Zafirah succumbs to it and dies instantly.

While Zaki returns to the ground to cast Raise Dead on Zafirah, the rest of the party explores the interior of the tower. (A single room with five strange doors; see separate document for details.) Once Zafirah is back with the group, they continue east for a couple more hours before making camp for the night.

15th The party continues east. About an hour before sunset, the party arrives at a huge basalt wall of rock, extending north and south for miles and covered in countless huge vertical factures. They make camp.
16th Mar’aqutt casts Lay of the Land and finds a direct (more or less) passage through the wall of stone that is large enough to accommodate the party’s mounts and pack animals. The rest of the day is spent transiting a maze of stone. When they emerge on the other side, they find themselves in a ten mile wide bowl of rough terrain, with the ruins of the fabled lost city of Irem at the very center. Unlike the desert beyond the wall, there is water everywhere here and (in the distance) it would appear that parts of the ruined city are inundated with it. The party locates a place of concealment at the edge of the stone maze, make camp, and set watches for the night.
17th Zaki relates to the rest of the party that he saw moving lights in the city ruins during the night on his watch. The party carefully works their way down to the cities edge. The great wall built long ago to surround the city has crumbled in many places, but the party chooses to enter at a main thoroughfare. Once inside, they see rows of huge stone stelae flanking the boulevard on both sides. Many are shattered, but enough are intact for Izdahar to read the inscriptions. Each one appears to be dedicated to a long-dead Kadaran King or Queen. Against the base of one near the inner end of the row (on the left), they find a long dead body of what appears to have been an explorer. The only thing of value left on the body (well concealed) is a small scroll tube. Once opened, they find it contains a fairly detailed map of the city, although with few labels.

After exploring further into the city, the party encounters (and battles) a party of reptilian humanoids with black scales and large horns on both sides of their skulls. They may be related somehow to black dragons. After the battle is done, the party goes through the bodies and retrieves a large and assorted collection of gear, including a large number of potions (invisibility, cure wounds, etc.) A passing attempt is made at hiding the bodies the party leaves the city and returns to their camp site. Stone Shape and Wall of Salt spells are used to encircle the location, save for a single, narrow, defensible opening. Zaki and Yasmina teleport back to the villa in Banja briefly to secure more spell components (for Raise Dead and so on.)

18th The next morning, on last watch, Zaki quietly wakes the party and advises them that a large bellicose, eight-legged reptile is sniffing around outside the camp wall. They quickly determine that the creature is a basilisk. After a brief tactical counsel, they attempt (and succeed) to lure the thing away by throwing dates beyond the creature. Each toss is further than the previous one and the creature, following its stomach, trudges away.

Heading once again down to the city, the party decides this time to circle to the north (clockwise) and enter at a different point. They encounter several (three) black dragonspawn patrols along the way and are able to avoid all but one. They set an ambush and dispatch the patrol with little effort. They discover that, among other martial skills, they can spit acid! Farid is injured rather badly by it, but not enough to force a withdrawal. The patrol is dispatched with alacrity and the party proceeds to a large break in the city wall.

Using the recently recovered map, the party makes its way to a central plaza containing several temples (some now in complete ruin) and the great cenote. Along the way, Zafirah spots a great black dragon take to wing from somewhere in the city in the general direction the party is headed. They all hide until it passes. Upon reaching the plaza, they find that one remaining temple is unusually intact. Upon inspection, they determine that all entrances and exits are locked or barred.

At what appears to be the main entrance, Hakaad uses a Phase Door spell to pass through the doors, taking Zafirah with him. Once inside, she unlocks the doors for the rest of the party to enter.

After passing through a foyer, the party enters a large, circular chamber with a domed ceiling. A great stone statue occupies the center of room. Izdahar determines that this is a likeness of Nintinogga, the Kadaran goddess of healing. Her empty arms are positioned as though she should be holding something, a staff perhaps, but nothing is present. The group explores several nearby antechambers. In one, they discover three of the dragonspawn defacing a mural, and dispatch them forthwith.

Beyond the great chamber, a smaller circular room reveals a spiral staircase which descends into the earth. After traversing it ninety vertical feet, the group exits into a long hall with alcoves and side passages, and sections of the floor that are broken away leaving only darkness below.

At the far end, one side chamber reveals a pair of dragonspawn directing a clay golem which is slowly cranking a large wheel which, in turn, is lowering a chain through a hole in the floor. Battle commences. The golem and one of the dragonspawn are defeated. The other escapes.

In another room, they find what appears to be a sewer pipe punched up through the floor. It leads down at a steep, but not impassable, angle. The party heads down and, after almost 200 vertical feet, they exit into an area that appears to have once been a small tavern, but the structure is not completely inverted; floors are now ceilings and ceilings are floors. As a further oddity, the rooms seem to be populated by the (inverted) ghosts of former employees and customers (including ghostly inverted furniture!) They all go about actions as though they were still alive and completely ignore the party. An inverted fireplace suggests that the now downwards facing chimney is the path to follow. Sudha goes into a handy haversack to make the descent. He is not happy about it.

A difficult (vertical) 120-feet later, the party comes out into a damp natural cavern area. Exploration of it reveals a small slippery natural drain in one alcove and another area that adjoins what appears to have been a street of former artisan’s shops back when they were on the surface. Those still identifiable appear to have once been a bakery and a bookshop. The few books and scrolls remaining in that latter location are mildewed and rotted with age; they disintegrate to the touch. From further down the street comes the roar of a waterfall. Upon investigation, the party discovers a cataract of water flowing from mounded rubble of what was once another store front, after which it races down the street, curving around another building before plunging over shattered marble steps and into a huge dark void.

In a room adjacent to the book shop, the party discovers the ghost of a sage. He introduces himself as Ossamis and informs them that he has vowed to answer one last question before he departs to the afterlife. After much deliberation, the party decides to ask, "What is the most direct path, including traps, guardians and major obstacles, to get to the current resting place of Drendar's Voice, also known as Timorin's Mechanical Sage?" The sage replies,

"Before the fall of my beautiful city, before Seyraxonure made her lair surrounded by the ruins of Irem...Return to the pipe chamber. There is a sinkhole which descends a great distance. It will take you to the level that houses the device that you seek. Beware, the way is treacherous. At the bottom you will be in an upended chapel. Exit the door and follow the main passageway. You will reach a fork. Follow the water upstream until you reach a large chamber. There are two waterfalls. Cross the chamber to large doors on (illegible). Go down the hall to another chamber. There is a fearsome guardian, Seyraxonure, a very old black dragon. She is perilously jealous of her hoard. I encourage you not to divert from your path, for there are many dangers below."

The party returns to the natural drain to continue their descent. Sudha goes back in the haversack. He is not amused this time either.

The slippery limestone tube is narrow, treacherous, and (for the most part) vertical. After a hair-raising 380-foot descent, the party reaches an inverted funnel-shaped chamber with three uniformly odd openings in the floor. They appear to be windows at the back (now top) of a former temple or chapel that has been upended. The remains of the shrine/altar is now a crumpled ruin 60-feet away on the far wall (now floor) of the structure. About 40-feet up one side of the wall is an opening that was apparently the original entrance to the temple when it was in its original orientation. Using ropes and spellcraft, the party negotiates their way over to the opening. They find themselves in a 10-foot by 10-foot sideways corridor that extends 20-feet, whereupon it opens into a 20-foot, roughly cubic chamber with a crumbled opening in the far wall. The omnipresent sound of rushing waterfalls is much closer. Judging this location about as defensible as any they are likely to find, the party prepares to take a much needed rest, but not before Yasmina teleports Mar’aqutt and Sudha back to the horse camp where they leave Sudha (for his own protection.) They then teleport back to the party, after which a watch is set and all the others sack out. That night, those on watch hear a small patrol of dragonspawn approaching outside the as yet unexplored passage through the rubble. The whole group prepares for battle, but the patrol stops outside and then shuffles away, apparently discomfited by the lingering presence of the ruined temple behind the party. They return to sleep with difficulty.

19th The “next morning”, the party squeezes through the passageway in the rock fall to find a 20-foot wide passage (right-side up, for a change) that extends 75-feet to a fork. There is no ceiling, but rather a low-hanging layer of “clouds” 40-50 feet overhead. This is apparently a somewhat less damaged part of the city and the humidity of the area has formed a cloud-like layer of mist in the huge cavern above.

The thunder of what sounds like a large nearby waterfall makes conversation difficult. Upon reaching the fork, the party realizes that the shape of the fork is like that of a letter ‘Y’, with them coming down from the right top to approach the junction of the three lines. They also discover a swiftly moving watercourse racing in from the left (to them) branch and rushing out the other branch, only to leap over the edge of a huge crevasse in the floor to disappear into a pitch-black abyss. The stream occupies the center 10-feet of the 20-foot wide corridor, so the party is able to move gingerly (and single-file) down the left “bank” of the left branch. Following the instructions of the ghostly sage from the day before, they slowly move forward, whereupon they encounter a 10-foot deep alcove in the left wall, that extends 20-feet ahead. In the back of the alcove are a huge set of brass double doors, covered by lichens and almost black with age. Focused on their mission, the party presses ahead towards what sounds like a huge steam leak but is, in fact, the speech of a dragon!

Moving cautiously forward, the party negotiates another 50 feet of corridor before it opens out into a huge circular plaza. There, dozens and dozens of dragonspawn prostrate themselves before a massive black dragon, who in turn hisses instructions to a single dragonspawn kneeling before it. The party retreats back to the alcove of brass doors to decide a course of action. Given that the plaza appears to be near the far side of the cavern, Hakaad decides that he will scale the wall to a location (more or less) directly above the dragon and attempt (using Stoneshape) to detach a large enough block of stone that will fall on the dragon (either mortally wounding it or killing it outright.) Using a combination of Spider Climb and Invisibility, he begins his ascent.

After several minutes of this, the dragon finishes speaking, after which the single dragonspawn in the van stands, turns to the others and cries, “Let the search begin!” The other dragonspawn stand, break into smaller groups and disperse to carry out their orders.

There is a CRACK!, followed by a WHOOSH!, and a huge stone fragment slams into the plaza floor, barely missing the dragon, but crushing several unfortunate dragonspawn. There is a moment of silence; then the dragon crouches, spreads its wings, and launches itself straight up through the cloud layer.

Pandemonium reigns among the dragonspawn. They scatter, with half-formed intent, like ants who have just had their hill kicked over. Those in the party who can understand the spitting, hissing language of the dragonspawn can hear cries of, “Find him! Tell him that the mistress has been attacked!” The party has no idea who “him” is, but fear that it may be a second black dragon

A small group of dragonspawn dashes down the corridor, straight towards the party. Chaos ensues. Zaki freezes three of the lizards with a spell emulating the breath of a silver dragon. All the rest, save one, are slain by a combination of melee and close range weapons from the party. The remaining dragonspawn flees back the way he came.

In an attempt to make headway towards the dragons’ horde, the party tries to jump the rushing water. Zaki and Izdahar both fail and are swept away by the current. Mar’aqutt manages to throw a rope to Izdahar, but Zaki is already beyond reach. Yasmina Dimension Door’s further downstream and manages to catch him before he reaches the falls. Zafirah runs down the side of the hall, but arrives too late to assist Yasmina. After Zaki has a chance to catch his breath, the three of them hike back to rejoin the party. At the same time, Hakaad uses Xorn Movement to travel through solid rock back to the party and emerges next to Farid, Izdahar, and Mar’aqutt.

Hurrying back to the plaza, before the dragonspawn can get organized, the party notices the source of the rushing stream. Two waterfalls, one at either end of the plaza, dump watercourses onto the plaza floor. Those flow to meet (from left and right) in the center of the plaza. They join and a slight downwards slope in the plaza floor causes the combined volume to run towards the party’s current position and on down the corridor.

The party (still minus Yasmina, Zafirah, and Zaki) splashes through the right-hand tributary (more shallow and less forceful than the earlier one) to reach the far side of the plaza. As they reach it and begin up a broad set of steps, yells draw their attention. Appearing from a broad side passage close to the furthest falls are several of the dragonspawn, accompanied by a large, floating, one-eyed sphere with many smaller eye-stalks sprouting from its top… A BEHOLDER!

Farid rushes the monster, sword held high, as Mar’aqutt began volleying arrow after arrow at the creature. The beholder, in turn, unleashes rays from two of its eye-stalks. The first strikes Farid, but (for whatever reason) it fails to affect him. The second strikes Hakaad and he is instantly transformed into a motionless stone statue.

Yasmina, Zafirah and Zaki arrive at the mouth of the corridor just in time to witness this hideous transformation. Yasmina spins towards the beholder, screams, “BASTARD!” and, in a flash of grief and rage, hurls a pearlescent grey beam of energy (Disintegrate spell) at it. The beam strikes the surprised beholder and it is instantly transformed into a thin cloud of dust that gently blows away on the damp breeze.

Zaki hurries to the Hakaad statues side and applies Stone Salve to it. The stone changes back to flesh and Hakaad is restored. The party, now complete again, hurries to the top of the stairs, into a side passage (20-feet wide and 90-feet long) which leads to their destination. They exist the passage into a dimly-lit circular and domed chamber, 100-feet wide, which is almost entirely occupied by a pool of dark, oily water. There is an overgrown pair of doors in the far wall, directly across the pool. They have clearly not been opened in centuries. Puzzled at the absence of any dragon horde, the party then recalls that black dragons like water and can remain submerged for very long periods. The disappointing conclusion they reach is that the horde is most likely at the bottom of the pool.

A roar from the far end of the recently-traversed passage tells the party that the black dragon has returned. As it squeezed into the passage to close on the party, Hakaad and Farid step forward to meet it. The dragon spits a massive jet of acid at them which, to the utter amazement of the party, harmlessly washes over Hakaad. Farid is not so lucky, but is able to tolerate the burning jet enough to throw his spear, True Flight, at the beast. Mar’aqutt casts an accuracy spell on some kind on the dragon and then begins pin-cushioning it with arrows. As Yasmina dives into the pool, in an attempt to locate the dragon horde, the rest of the party lays into the attack on the dragon. The huge reptile, realizing to its dismay that it may be over-matched, casts a Darkness spell and frantically attempts to back out of the passage. The party, with Farid, Hakaad, and Mar’aqutt in the van) follow and finish the dragon off just as if finally frees itself from the far end of the passage.

After a brief pause to regain their breath (and for Zaki to treat injuries), the party hurries to gather what spoils they can. While Zafirah and Yasmina make multiple dives in the pool to recover the dragon horde, other party members skin the dragon (and relieve it of its horns and teeth.) When finish and everything is gathered up, Yasmina teleports the party and loot back to the horse camp. The horses are none too happy with the sudden dragon musk that wafts from the fresh hide, but Sudha is delighted to see Mar’aqutt again and “cleans” each of the party members in turn as he welcomes them all back. The party then takes some down time to rest and go through the dragon horde.

20th The party stays in camp for the day, resting and recovering. The loot from the dragon’s horde is counted and examined. The party discusses what to ask of Drendar’s Voice and then asks their first question:
What direction should we travel for the next leg of our quest?

to which the artifact replies:

TRAVEL TO WORLDS END

Hakaad uses Shrink Item on six of the pack animals and horses.

21st In the morning, Hakaad uses Shrink Item on the rest of the mounts. Once done, Yasmina teleports the entire party (in two trips) back to the villa in Banja. The rest of the day is spent unpacking, cleaning gear, resting, and going on to small errands.

Yusef takes Hakaad aside and tells him that, roughly four weeks earlier (while the party was away), a stranger came calling. He dressed as an al-Badia, was accompanied by a large desert lion, and inquired about Farid and Mar’aqutt, wishing to speak with both of them. He has not returned since that visit. Hakaad relates this information to Farid and Mar’aqutt.

Hakaad later discusses with Yusef the possibility of engaging the services of a “broker” to help liquidate much of the myriad of esoteric magic items the party has acquired over time, but doesn’t really want or need. Hakaad then instructs Yusef to seek such an individual and, if possible, determine their reliability before soliciting their service.

Izdahar visits the college and, for a 1 Dinar fee, spends the day researching the Kahliopsis, maps that show the Edge of the World, and the Mistmantle.

23rd The party inquires of the mechanical sage as to the source of the Genosha-Caliphate War. They learn that “Gyddirian of Ranthamboor” is behind everything.
28th Hakaad sends a messenger to al-Sayid, requesting a meeting. In a reply, she agrees. That evening, Hakaad and Yasmina visit al-Sayid’s villa, where Hakaad inquires whether or not she (al-Sayid) can arrange a meeting with the head of the city thieves’ guild. She indicated she can and will arrange for one in the near future.
Quddam ali Shati Festival day. Hakaad takes Yasmina on a shopping spree, with Farid along as a “body guard”. Over the course of the day, they visit numerous fine shops. Yasmina is fitted for a formal dress in embroidered white silk, with a high (Mandarin) collar, and many small emeralds stitched in the designs (130 kiam). At upscale jewelers, she acquires a gold chain necklace from which depends a large pear-cut emerald (200 kiam) and a matching gold bracelet with seven small emeralds (150 kiam). They complete the day by purchasing for her an assortment of scented soaps from a fine chandlers shop.

As the day is midwinter’s eve, the mood in town is festive and is capped off by an impressive fireworks display (half alchemical, half magical) launched from the emirs palace. The party attends the Emir’s mid-winters party (by invitation). Mar’aqutt and Farid arrive on horseback (celestial mount, in Farid’s case) and the rest of the party arrives via Yasmina’s teleport. Kat is also seen attending.

Year: 1500

Khalf ali Shati    Festival day. It is midwinter’s day and the festivities continue. Several small carnivals (set up in the larger souks) do a brisk business. Many of the temples, particularly that of Syhana, are also heavily visited.

Izdahar spends the day gathering information from the various inns, taverns, coffee houses, and marketplaces. Among other tidbits of lore, she hears that a group of adventurers have rediscovered Dharm, the City of the Dead. Apparently, all the discoverers have since died of gruesome, bizarre deaths. There are also tales of an attack on the palace of the calipha (in Shadazar) by covert assassins from Genosha, bent on slaying the calipha. They were all killed by palace forces. That’s the official story. However, unofficially, there were apparently eye witnesses that swear that three large black clockwork creatures in golden armor (inevitables) were the attackers and that they were singlehandedly defeated by the calipha (who received minor injuries.)

It is also rumored that Sauf al-Sahar is actually a sham. They are dupes of the calipha and act as her eyes and ears. Their leader (Hakaad) is a cousin of the calipha and she taught him all the magic he knows. The proprietress of the Golden Goblet tells Izdahar the same story (knowing that it is false) and the traveler (a strange man) who told her the rumor was very insistent that she should believe the rumor.

The red comet still visible in the night sky.

Wahid (1)
2nd Izdahar hears the first rumors of the five Domari (The Fury/Red, The Winter/White, The Darkness/Black, The Tempest/Blue, The Silence/Grey.) They were first seen in al-Jarii about one month ago. Also, about three weeks ago, a man accompanied by a huge desert lion was asking around town about Farid and Mar’aqutt.

Another rumor making the rounds is that a powerful vampire is secretly ruling Banja.

Hakaad asks Drendar’s Voice about the source of the rumor maligning Sauf al-Sahar and Hakaad in particular. He learns that the person (a man) initially responsible for starting the rumor was never in Banja.

Hakaad returns to al-Sayid’s villa after sunset to meet with a representative of the thieves’ guild. The man (based strictly on his voice) never introduces himself and speaks from behind a screen, so as not to be seen by Hakaad. After a brief discussion, they agree that some sort of mutually beneficial arrangement could be worked out between Hakaad and the guild. Hakaad is given a point of contact for future use (Hafez ibn Javad al Bhatti, guild master of the glassblowers and glaziers guild.)

Yasmina begins disappearing during the day, leaving the villa after breakfast and returning just before the evening meal. Questions regarding her daily activities are gracefully deflected.

4th Another query to Drendar’s Voice determines that “The Flaw” is guarded by a Jabberwock.
5th Yasmina has the second fitting done for her new dress.
9th Farid finishes Mar’aqutt’s Fiend Slayer Crystal.
12th Yasmina has the final fitting done for her new dress.

While continuing her research at the college, Izdahar chances to spot Yasmina vanishing into the stacks with an assistant scholar in tow. Carefully following them, Izdahar spots them stop in the section on the Lower Planes. There, after a brief quiet discussion, the scholar retrieves two tomes (one small, the other quite large) from the shelves and carries them back into the common study area for Yasmina. He leaves her there with the books. When Izdahar approaches and hails Yasmina, she nonchalantly close the (large) book she is reading, covering the smaller one in the process, and engages in a brief, polite discussion. Again, she gracefully avoids providing detailed answers about her activities. In the end, Izdahar goes back to her own scholarly pursues with no further understanding of Yasmina’s actions.

13th A violent wind storm lasts through the night and into the afternoon, before finally dissipating, leaving a few downed trees and a few damaged building (mostly in the low rent areas.)
14th Farid finishes Zafirah’s bow.
16th Yasmina receives word that her dress is ready to be collected. She rushes to the shop to collect it and hurries home to parade it before her husband (and him alone.)
17th

In the early, pre-dawn hours, Hakaad sneaks into the common room of the villa where Drendar’s Voice is kept, and surreptitiously asks the current location of the individual responsible for introducing the false rumors about Sauf al-Sahar. The answer provided is “Royal palace, Shadazar”.

In the evening, a strange mist rolls in from the southern desert, over the city walls, and into the city. With it comes a bizarre collection of the nightmarish creatures, the likes of which no one in the party has even seen.

Upon realizing these creatures were slaughtering townsfolk, Yasmina teleports to the Golden Goblet and bring Nayla and her cook back to the villa. Those two, along with the household staff are herded into the wine cellar by Yusuf where they remain until it is safe to emerge.

Battle is joined in the back yard of the villa and the party ultimately dispatches more than a dozen assorted creatures. Upon dying, each creature immediately begins to dissolve into a puddle of black corruption which then evaporates in a noxious vapor. One of the rent-a-cop guards is killed during the battle, but the household staff is safe within the villa.

In spite of the thick fog, distant screams and sounds of battle indicate to the party that similar engagements are apparently taking place all across the city. A brilliant flash of distant light appears once from a point that approximates the east hill of the city. The party, concerned that battle is taking place at the Emirs palace, has Yasmina teleport them to the palace gates. Once palace guards recognize them, they offer their assistance and are directed to the grounds of the palace gardens (where the current combat is occurring.) Fatima al-Azadda, a captain of the palace guard, gladly accepts their assistance. Another bright light, a blue-white column into the sky and accompanied by a muted surf-like sound, appears in the distance to the southwest (perhaps closer to the center of town.)

More creatures of the kinds encountered at the villa are slain. As the palace battle winds down, Mar’aqutt spies a new, spindly-legged creature on the upper wall walkway. It seems to study the battle below with a malign intelligence. Before anyone can approach it, it vanishes in the mists.

Seeing that the mysterious blue-white column of light continues to blaze down in town (somewhere near the college, it seems), the party set out on foot to find its source. They pass many bodies (human and animal) and numerous scenes of carnage along the way. Upon arriving at the plaza in front of the college, they find that the column of light is a rotating, roaring, blue-white vortex of light, 20 feet in diameter. It is sucking up all the mist and carrying it into the sky. A staff-wielding human figure stands centered in the column, its arms upraised. The wizardess Gayda Johara stands near the column. She gestures the party to her. When they reach her, they realize that the figure in the light column is the Archmage Ra’id ibn Arrahn al-Zarr.

As the party discusses the current situation with Gayda, a variety of the bizarre creatures come tumbling towards the column, are sucked into it, and cast into the sky beyond view. This continues for some time, but eventually begins to slack off. The mist thins and the stars begin to come into view.

Zaki and Farid go to the temple of Corean. The rest of the party heads back to the villa, stopping by the Golden Goblet on the way to check it for safety and integrity. They find the latch on the entrance broken and the stables empty, but no other signs of disturbance.

Upon reaching the villa, they find the man who has been asking about Mar’aqutt and Farid waiting for them on the front steps. He exclaims that he has been urgently searching for Mar’aqutt and Farid, and has dire matters to discuss with them. When the party invites him into the villa, he asks if he can bring “a friend”. When they agree, he calls for “Abhi” and an adult, black-maned desert lion, which stands almost as tall as Izdahar. The group enters the villa and Izdahar contacts Farid, informing him of their new guest. After that communique, Farid heads back to the villa while Zaki remains at the temple to tend the injured. The household staff is brought back up from the hidden basement and Izdahar ascertains everyone’s state of mind. After she’s satisfied that everyone is reasonably settled, Izdahar send Malika and her daughter (Adara) off to the kitchen to prepare a late repast. Then she offers her on room (upstairs) to Nayla and her cook, so that they can rest and regain their composure before returning to their inn down the hill.

Once Izdahar returns downstairs, the stranger with the lion introduces himself as Nasir Malik Kemal Inal Ibrahim Shams ad-Dualla Wattab ibn Mahmud. His clan is (he claims) al-Kawi Afras (the Clan of the Strong Horses). Nasir says that he knows of Mar’aqutt and Farid because her (Mar’aqutt’s) uncle Amal has spoken of her (them) and said that they live in this al-Hadar village.

Nasir tells a tale to the party. He informs them that he has made it his life’s work to scour the world clean of undead and has been reasonably effective, on an individual basis. However, two months previous, he came into some new information which sent him searching in a new direction. In short order, he discovered Dharm, the lost City of the Dead, the Bastion of Eternal Dusk.

Nasir tells of meeting a scholarly hermit in the desert who names himself “Muktar the Mad.” He studies the undead of Dharm (from a distance.) On the 25th of Had’ash, Muktar claims to have witnessed “something horrible” fall from the sky adjacent to Dharm. Nasir calls that which issued forth the H’Laqu and informs that party that what they fought this night were aspects of this new threat. Muktar claims that the H’Laqu from “outside”, that they come from the “space between the worlds”. Nasir also believes that this was the second arrival and that these H’Laqu are responsible for the current behavior of Genoshan leadership.

Hakaad produces a map of Al-Karag and has Nasir indicate the approximate location of Dharm for the party. After more discussion, the party makes plans to depart first thing in the morning.

18th As the party separates to their separate rooms for the night, Hakaad takes Yasmina aside and informs her that he intends to journey to Shadazar and “leave a message” for those who initiated the slander against Sauf al-Sahar. As soon as midnight passes, Hakaad returns to the hidden basement laboratory and asks Drendar’s Voice for the name of the person responsible for initiating the slander. The device replies “Denash ibn Denash”.

Expending two charges from his staff (“Greater Teleport”) Hakaad and Yasmina jump to the storeroom of Kajji’s Rug Shop (and agent of the Second Compact and a distant colleague of Hakaad’s uncle Wazir.) After waking Kajji and assuring him that he is in no peril, Hakaad asks him if he knows of ibn Denash. Kajji states that he does and that ibn Denash is the right hand of the Grand Vizier. Hakaad pays him 100 kiam for this information, then Hakaad and Yasmina leave his shop. They leave the lower city for the upper city and from there, on to the main gates of the palace. They are closed and two guards stand watch. Using a spell (Voice of the Dragon), Hakaad convinces one of the guards to summon ibn Denash, which is done. In the meantime, a captain of the guard, and another soldier, join Hakaad and Yasmina to wait for the official to return. When asked his name, Hakaad introduces himself to the captain as Farouk al-Demar.

Hakaad make polite chit-chat with the captain for about ten minutes. Then, two people return to the gate across the palace grounds: one is the guard sent to fetch ibn Denash, the other is a dark-haired man with a mustache, dressed in a robe and slippers. Presumably is ibn Denash himself. At ten feet, ibn Denash spots Hakaad and yells, “YOU!”

Hakaad casts a spell to paralyze ibn Denash, but it fails for some reason. A brief skirmish ensues with the guards, but ibn Denash Dimension Doors away and escapes. After the remaining threats are neutralized, Hakaad and Yasmina, both with minor injuries, teleport home to the villa entrance and immediately retire to their room for the night.

In the morning, Farid heals the remainder of Nasir’s injuries, Nasir is introduced to Zaki and brings him up to speed on the story the rest of the party was told the night before. The party packs up and leaves Banja via the River (east) Gate, headed east towards Dhofar. The group has decided that the route of least resistance is to travel along the desert road to Enabar, then strike out south across Al-Karag. That evening, out of earshot of Nasir, Mar’aqutt asks Drendar’s Voice if Nasir bares anyone in the party ill-will. The Voice produces four blank message windows.

19th That evening, Mar’aqutt repeats the previous night’s question Drendar’s Voice. The answer returned is “No”.
20th The party asks Drendar’s Voice “What vulnerabilities do the H’Laqu have?” The answer is “Usual methods are limited.”

In the afternoon, several of the party members notice a small flock of odd-looking crows in a tree on the south side of the caravan road. They make no noise whatsoever and watch the party intently as they pass. Mar’aqutt unleashes a flurry of arrows at the flock (using the arrow mind spell) and slays the entire flock before any can fly away. The dead birds fall to the ground and immediately begin to dissolve into individual puddles of acrid black ooze.

The party arrives in Dhofar in the evening, without further incident.

21st The party departs Dhofar for Enabar. Their question for Drendar’s Voice that day, “When did the H’Laqu first arrive in Barr al-Fadi?” The answer they get is “Wahid 22, 1499”. They realize that the given date coincides very closely with the first appearance of the comet. It is also the day that Hakaad & Co. rescued Yasmina from the Citadel of Eternal Cold.
22nd The party asks Drendar’s Voice, “Where did the H’Laqu first arrive?” The answer they get is, “Kahliopsis.”
23rd The party arrives in Enabar shortly after midday. The party is clearly remembered by all the townsfolk for their previous good deeds. The innkeeper refuses to charge them for their lodging that night. Izdahar finds that a number of the townsfolk have been seeing these odd crows, both individually and in small flocks. The encounters have always left the people with a sense of unease. One of the local goatherds lost several of his goats. When he went to look for them in the low hills south of town, he encountered a man who “was put together wrong”. The goatherd ran away from him and never found his goats. Other members of the community mention coming across areas of ground that are “wrong”. The distortions seem to be transient because, when others are brought back to see the oddity, everything is back to normal.

That day, the party asks Drendar’s Voice, “Why have the H’Laqu come to Barr al-Fadi?” The answer they get is, “Target of opportunity.”

24th The party departs Enabar and heads south into the desert. Their question for the day to Drendar’s Voice is, “Just as fiends of the realms below are harmed unduly by silver and cold iron, is there any material of our world that causes the H’Laqu more pain than mere steel?” The answer they receive is, “Mundane weapons especially effective.”

That evening, after the party has made camp, they are visited by four demons. Each is uniquely different from the others and all are grotesque in some fashion. One steps forward and speaks to the group, telling them that he and his “associates” have been sent by “their master” to present an offer to Sauf al-Sahar. The leader, who introduces himself Nezsoraax, identifies the others Glyve (the large winged demon), N’yarl (the Bar-lgura), and Ry’d’ly’chy (an evil pixie from the abyss.) Nezsoraax says that his master (whom he does not name, but it's Graz’zt, “the dark prince”) claims that Sauf al-Sahar is in service of a “competitor” and Nezsoraax’ master wants them in service of him. It’s that simple. If they refuse, Nezsoraax’ offer, he would be “very unhappy”. Hakaad convinces them to give the party one day to consider the “generous offer”. The demon leader agrees and the four creatures disappear into the night.

Afterwards, the party spends a fair amount of time discussing the machinations of Graz’zt and Dispater (without, of course, mentioning either of their names.) They retire again without really resolving anything.

25th In the morning, the party asks Drendar’s Voice, “In the eyes of the Lord of Hell who believes us to be his servants, when did our servitude begin?” The answer they receive is, “Wahid 10, 1499.” They are fairly certain that this was the first time they met al-Sayid. Also, Nasir informs the rest of the party that they could be at the dwelling of Muktar the Mad by mid-afternoon, if they do not tarry. The party breaks camp and heads south toward Muktar’s home.

Just before noon, the party tops a rise and notices, roughly two yards distant, a group of figures. Nasir and Mar’aqutt both pull out telescopes and see three obscured (in desert garb) humanoid figures on foot. They move in an unsteady, shambling gait. Mar’aqutt and Nasir slowly close on them, with Farid a ways behind the two, while the rest of the party waits behind. After closing half the distance (one hundred yards), they stop and study the trio again. At this distance, the clothing looks less ragged and more incorrectly donned. Further, the faces of the creatures look like men who were put together wrong.

Nasir suggests a closer, cautious approach, so he, Mar’aqutt and Farid all spread out in a line abreast and slowly move forward. At about seventy feet, the three party members stop in a line. The creatures abruptly change direction so that each one is moving directly towards an individual party member. This occurs at a steady walking pace.

Repeated commands from Mar’aqutt, Farid, and Nasir to halt are ignored by the creatures. As a result, the three party members launch attacks against the creatures. The rest of the party rides up to assist. After a brief battle, the three creatures are vanquished. The three creatures all dissolve into puddles of oily corruption.

After a brief midday repast, the party continues on. A couple hours later, they top a low rise and find themselves looking down into a draw (probably an old stream bed.) On one side, there is a stony overhang facing west, the underside of which has been walled up and with a sturdy door installed in it. An assortment if items (a small bench, a ferrier’s sharpening wheel, a few urns of various sizes, and so on) are scattered about near the entrance/door. Nasir indicates that this is the dwelling of Muktar the Mad, who typically sleeps during the day so that he may study the denizens of Dharm during the night.

The party dismounts and Nasir pounds on the door to wake Muktar. After several minutes, a five foot, five inch white-haired old man in a night shirt opens the door. Muktar “the Mad” al-Adin offers a rambling greeting and then invites everyone inside. After invoking the Sturdy Stable and caring for their mounts, the party enters. Muktar goes to change into more suitable clothes then comes back to talk to his guests. While Mar’aqutt keeps an eye out the window, the rest of the party explains why they are there.

Upon touching on the topic of the H’Laqu, Muktar suggests that the term is singular. There is only one “H’Laqu” and every “creature” encountered is a part of the whole. He does not know where they/it comes from but complains that it has made his studies of Dharm substantially more difficult. He also believes that access to the H’Laqu “nest” is somewhere deep within Dharm itself. This discussion continues on for some time and the party mulls over a number different options for engaging the H’Laqu. That discussion segues directly into tactics for the impending battle that night with the returning demons.

To insulate Muktar from potential harm (once the demons arrive), the party sets up their camp several hundred yards down the dry wash.

The evening, after the evening meal, the four demons reappear. A couple party members throw discrete “buffing” spells in preparation for battle. While this takes place, Hakaad engages in stalling conversation with the lead demon, which confuses and disconcerts that demon. Zaki and Mar’aqutt, hidden in one of the tents, cast several “buffing” spells on the party. When they step out of the tent, Farid calls the party to battle and it commences.

Half a minute of frenzied combat sees the party victorious and three of the four demons slain. The remaining demon (a Bar-Lgura) teleports away and escapes. After tending to their wounds, the party begins to settle in for the night but are interrupted by Muktar walking into the camp. He apologizes for not offering any assistance and offers a collection of fully-charged wands by way of recompense. In the end, the party receives a collection of wands, one each charged with

  • See Invisibility,
  • Lightning Bolt,
  • Neutralize Poison,
  • Bear’s Endurance,
  • Cat’s Grace,
  • Cure Serious Wounds, and Remove Disease.
After a scattered conversation on a variety of marginally related topics, Muktar bids the party goodnight and heads back towards his home.

Once again, the party begins to settle down for the night when Hakaad is surprised by a sending (via the Whispering Sand spell) from al-Sayid. She states that she urgently wishes to speak with Yasmina and him and ask that they come to her. Hakaad makes a flimsy excuse for Yasmina and him to be alone and then, once they are, she teleports the two of them back to the front walk at al-Sayid’s villa in Banja. A servant answers the door and escorts them to her audience chamber. They arrive in time to see another (brawny) servant drag a man’s body out of the room via a different door. The dead man’s throat has been ripped open and there is a great deal of blood spread around the room. Hakaad and Yasmina recognize the dead man as Tarun, one of al-Sayid’s “Chosen”. Al-Sayid is also present, standing off to one side of the room, her mouth bloody as though she has just fed (which, given, the tableau, is probably exactly what just happened.)

With no warning, al-Sayid casts a spell that paralyzes Yasmina and then, with the superhuman speed and strength of a vampire, pins Hakaad against the wall, lifting him off his feet by his throat. She then proceeds to berate Hakaad at length about his botched attack on Denash ibn-Denash in Shadazar just over a week previous. She informs him that all his household staff has been arrested, his villa has been occupied by Caliphate soldiers, and both he and his wife are now wanted outlaws across the caliphate. Hakaad informs al-Sayid that over the last year there have been several events that strongly suggest that the “Lord of the Iron City” (Dispater, who rules the city of Dis in the Nine Hells) consider the members of Sauf al-Sahar to be his “investments”. Hakaad also relates that there is circumstantial evidence to suggest that al-Sayid is somehow responsible for this.

Al-Sayid then releases Yasmina from the paralysis, who begins to verbally lash out at al-Sayid, only to be restrained by Hakaad. Al-Sayid claims innocence and demands to know where these accusations originate. Hakaad relates the claims made by the four demons the party just vanquished. When Hakaad tells al-Sayid of Sauf al-Sahar’s brief encounter with Dispater on 25th of Ashra, 1499, al-Sayid is shocked and breaks a piece of furniture in a fit of temper.

After she calms down, al-Sayid tells Hakaad and Yasmina that she was “misinformed” and states, “We must take steps to reestablish your reputation.” While not actually making any claim of responsibility for the current state of affairs, Hakaad actually apologizes to al-Sayid for any inconvenience he may have caused her. He then goes on to suggest that they consider ways to mitigate the damage done to the reputation of himself, Yasmina, and the Sauf al-Sahar in general. Yasmina, meanwhile, is slack-jawed at the civilized cooperation between her husband and the vampire.

Al-Sayid has Hakaad and Yasmina make themselves comfortable, and has a servant bring refreshments. Hakaad then proceeds to offer al-Sayid a detailed recounting of many of the events over the past few months. (He does, however, deliberately omit certain details like the Warlock’s vision of 100 years into Banja’s future and the critical point that it is all apparently caused by Yasmina’s yet-to-take-place assassination of the Calipha.) This devolves into a discussion of caliphate politics and the hypothetical elimination of the Calipha.

They end their discussion by agreeing to both consider strategies to discredit Denash ibn Denash and restore Sauf al-Sahar’s reputation. Yasmina also (reluctantly) agrees to take no action (against the Calipha.) With that, Hakaad and Yasmina step outside the entryway of al-Sayid’s villa and Yasmina teleports both of them back to the party.

26th

As the party breaks camp in the morning, Muktar, with backpack and walking stick, joins them to journey to Dharm. With Muktar walking and the rest on horseback, they head south towards Dharm. The morning passes w/o incident. About two hours after lunch, the party encounters a trio of desert lions at a distance of a couple hundred yards. One suddenly vanishes in a cloud of dust and the other two lions immediately flee. Hakaad dismounts, so as to take advantage of his Tremor Sense. The party cautiously approaches the location where the lion vanished to find a roughly circular area, about thirty feet in diameter, completely devoid of any vegetation. The area is vaguely concave and the soil looks quite soft.

At the (mounted) party’s request, Muktar picks up a rock and throws it into the center of the clear area. The rock sinks about half its thickness, but nothing else happens. Farid and Mar’aqutt both believe that this is an ant lion burrow. The party backs away cautiously and continues on their way.

After the party pitches camp that evening, they ask Drendar’s Voice, “How do we find the lair of the H’Laqu that is in or around Dharm?” The answer they get is, “Seek Temple of Hallah.”

27th Towards the end of last watch (manned by Zaki and Farid), the entire party is abruptly awakened by the cackle of a small pack of hyenas, perhaps a couple hundred yards from camp. The animals stay away, however, probably because they smell humans. Everyone gets up, has breakfast, breaks camp, and sets out once again. The entire day passes uneventfully.

That evening, the party discusses tactics for making it through Dharm to the Temple of Hallah without getting slaughtered, what to do with their mounts (plus two camels) while there, and what question to ask Drendar’s Voice that evening. The question that they settle on is, “What is the most dangerous foe that we could potentially encounter between here and the Temple of Hallah?” The answer is, “There are numerous liches.”

The night passes quietly.

28th Hakaad and Yasmina celebrate their first wedding anniversary. Farid reluctantly suggests that the party ask Drendar’s Voice the question, “Would it be possible for Sauf al-Sahar to negotiate with the residents of Dharm for safe passage to the Temple of Hallah?” The answer is, “Most emphatically, yes.

The party breaks camp and travels until noon, which puts them within about ten miles of Dharm. Muktar offers to care for the animals while the party is gone. Mar’aqutt explains to him how to use the Secure Shelter to house and feed the animals. The party makes camp and stays there for the night.

Tnain (2)
1st The party discusses ways to determine with whom in Dharm to negotiate. They decide to ask Drendar’s Voice, “With which entity should we negotiate to best insure safe passage through Dharm to the Temple of Hallah?” The answer is, “Contact Azhaven the necromancer.”

Mid-morning, Hakaad casts Whispering Sands to contact Azhaven. The spell is successful and Azhaven replies. A civil conversation ensues and Hakaad eventually convinces Azhaven to offer them safe passage. Azhaven states that he must confer with his “peers” before safe passage can be guaranteed. He (Azhaven) indicates that Hakaad should await his contact shortly after sunset.

Mar’aqutt suddenly realizes that she has no mundane weapons. Nasir is in the same situation. Since they’ve been informed that the H’Laqu are more sensitive to mundane weapons, this could be a problem. Yasmina offers to transport Mar’aqutt and Nasir back to town for a few hours, to purchase mundane weapons. This is agreeable to the rest of the party, so Yasmina teleports to Maktaba al Dahab. Mar’aqutt buys a scimitar and a horseman’s mace. Nasir buys two scimitars and horseman’s mace. When done, they teleports back to the party.

The party maintains camp for the rest of the day, which passes without incident. In the afternoon, Mar’aqutt and Nasir spar for a while, to familiarize themselves with their new (non-magical) weapons.

Without warning, a patch of ground behind Mar’aqutt suddenly turns black, bulges up, and explodes, hurling debris everywhere. As the airborne debris rains down and settles to the ground, the black ground returns to its normal color, leaving only a small, ragged divot in the ground. Only Izdahar is injured by the flying rocks and dirt.

Everyone is on guard and scanning everywhere for danger. Again, without warning, three black monoliths of stone and dirt erupt around Nasir. As he leaps aside, the three columns slam closed on his previous position. Nasir avoids the damage that he might have incurred. The stone and earth columns immediately crumble back to the ground as normal soil.

Zaki quickly cures Izdahar’s injuries. A patch of ground behind Farid ripples in his direction, but nothing else follows. While Nasir and Zaki ready arrows, in case a target presents itself, Hakaad casts Transmute Sand to Glass. This creates a forty square of glass, ten feet thick, in the desert sand, which he and Yasmina immediately step upon. Moments later, a twenty foot-radius area of ground erupts in black, vitrified spikes, anywhere from one to three feet tall, causing minor injury to both Farid and Muktar. As quickly as they appear, the ground returns to a normal color and the spikes crumble back to earth and sand. Nasir fires a readied arrow at the patch of ground, hitting it squarely. It seems to have no effect whatsoever. Mar’aqutt readies an arrow to do the same, should the need arise. Hakaad attempts to Detect Magic, but finds nothing other than those magic auras already present around his companions.

Farid moves onto Hakaad’s area of glass and attempts to detect evil, to no effect. Then another of the ground ripple effects occurs, moving rapidly towards the area of glass, but dies out before reaching it.

Mar’aqutt, Nasir, Zafirah, and Zaki all have readied actions with their bows. Farid does also with his sword and Yasmina with a spell. Another section of earth suddenly turns black, bulges, and explodes, causing minor injury to Yasmina and Zaki. The four archers let fly their arrows, with Mar’aqutt, Nasir, and Zaki all scoring hits (to no apparent effect). Yasmina attacks the area with a Lightning Bolt, vitrifying some of the soil at the target location.

All the archers ready arrows again and Hakaad readies a Magic Missile spell. A huge column of earth and rock erupts next to Farid but fails to injure him by virtue of the massive plate of glass beneath him. Farid delivers a solid blow to the column, followed by an arrow hit from Mar’aqutt, a flurry of Magic Missiles from Hakaad, and another Lightning Bolt from Yasmina. The column of soil reverts to its original color and collapses back to the ground.

Everyone again readies arrows/spells/melee weapons, as appropriate. A tense half minute passes with no activity. The party eventually relaxes, unsure whether they destroyed whatever attacked them or merely drove it off.

The remainder of the day is uneventful. As the party completes their evening, Hakaad is contacted by Azhaven. He informs Hakaad that he and his colleagues have agreed to offer the party safe passage into and out of Dharm. After a brief consult with the rest of the party, Hakaad agrees and indicates that Sauf al-Sahar will arrive tomorrow at sunset. The party camps in their current location for the night. Zaki cures eveyones injuries. Having been instructed on the use of the Secure Shelter, Muktar agrees to wait five days for the party to return.

2nd The party breaks camp at noon and, leaving Muktar behind with the animals, sets out on foot for Dharm. The plan is to arrive at sunset. After travelling only a short while, the party is attacked by a collection black sinewy tentacles that lash out from shadows on either side of the trail. These tentacles seem intent on grasping and holding party members, but are quickly defeated by a combination of weapons and spells.

At dusk, the party reached the boundary of Dharm; a waist high stone wall with a single stone archway leads into the City of Eternal Dusk. A chilled, stale wind blows out of the valley containing the city of the dead. An undead creature, shadowy and dressed in tattered shrouds, meets them and wordlessly beckons them to follow it. It bears a banner (black bearing a silver sigil) on a staff. The party follows it down into the city, following a stone path paved with what appear to be headstones. Soon, a variety of undead gather to witness the party as they pass by. No hostile action is taken by either side. As the party descends into the narrow valley, they begin to be flanked by cemeteries on both sides, small at first and then growing larger. These areas are sprinkled with tombs and crypts, with large mausoleums at the back, sometimes built into the very walls of the twisting canyon.

After following their undead guide for roughly two and a half miles, the creatures turns to the left and leads the party up a slight incline, between several smaller tombs, and comes to a stop in front of the open entrance to a large mausoleum built into the cliff face. After a brief pause, Hakaad strides inside and the rest of the party follows. Passing down a long passage, with many smaller branches, and through several different chambers, the group eventually comes to a halt in a large audience chamber. Two humanoid figures, one sitting on a stone throne, the other standing, wait at the far end, illuminated by rows of hanging braziers. The seated figure is a wizened, desiccated man, almost mummy-like in appearance, wearing robes, jewelry, and other ornaments that must have once been rich and beautiful, but are now worn and faded with age. The standing figure is a very tall (~9 ft.), cadaverous figure wearing nothing be a loincloth. It’s eyes are black and sinister, its mouth is oversized and filled with sharp pointed teeth, and it’s ears are somewhat pointed. It’s ribcage and abdomen appear ripped open and scooped clean, with the vacated space occupied by a smaller humanoid figure that is clearly in agony.

The seated figure rises and introduces himself as Azhaven. He bids the party welcome to his home. The party members introduce themselves (reluctantly in some cases). Azhaven has undead servant bring suitable seating for the party and what limited refreshments as he is able to provide “for the living”. Once everyone is comfortable, discussion of the current crisis at hand begins.

Azhaven states that the visitations by the H’Laqu began approximately one month ago, when a tunnel appeared (by explosively means) inside the temple of Hallah. In addition to being an affront to the goddess, it also did considerable damage to the interior of the temple (although not enough to render it structurally unsafe.) Azhaven offers the party safe refuge for the night and will guide them to the temple in the “morning”. The party members are escorted to austere quarters deeper in the mountainside. They attempt to rest until more which, given their location, is difficult at best.

3rd

The next morning, Zaki provides a Heroes Feast for the party’s breakfast. Azhaven suggests that the animal companions (Sudha and Abhi) may be better off being left behind, but neither the animal nor their people think this is a good idea. Azhaven guides them roughly two and a half miles to the temple of Hallah. A large crowd of assorted undead greets the party as they reach the temple, but the undead do not seem hostile. Rather, they seem interested in seeing what will transpire once the party enters the temple. The party enters and proceeds down a long, ornate but time-worn corridor until they reach a huge interior circular chamber. On the far side of the chamber, a gothic façade is built into the wall, appearing as though it was an exterior building. Its large, stone double doors are blown out (one off its hinges) by some powerful internal force.

As the party steps into the huge circular chamber, a great sepulchral voice speaks. “The dead do not suffer the living to enter their realm. Who comes before us?” A fifty foot tall translucent female figure appears; an avatar of the goddess Hallah. Hakaad steps forward and tersely explains the nature of their visit and their intent in thwarting the H’Laqu. Hallah gestures towards the shattered doors. “Then you are the instrument of our retribution. Step forward and meet your doom.

With no small amount of trepidation, the party steps through the broken doorway, into what appears to be the inner sanctum of the temple. A powerful disturbance has clearly wrought destruction on the interior. All manner of statues, along with Hallah’s own altar have been heavily damaged or outright destroyed. A raw circular tunnel has been carved out of the native rock at the rear of the chamber. It is roughly twenty feet in diameter and disappears, straight as an arrow, away into the darkness.

The party proceeds cautiously down the tunnel. After travelling about one hundred yards, the gravity abruptly drops, causing several party members to lose their footing. Once order is restored, the group does a bit of experimenting and discovers that at that very precise point in the tunnel, the gravity diminishes by about fifty percent and stays that way as the tunnel continues forward.

Now, more cautious than ever, the party advances on. Apparently the location at which the gravity changed was the midpoint of the tunnel for, as the party approaches the two hundred yard point, they see the end of the tunnel. It opens out onto a grey, rocky plain, under a black, start lit sky. Quietly advancing to the very lip of the tunnel, a number disturbing features become evident. The rocky plain appears to be the floor of a flat, shallow crater that is several hundred yards in diameter. A rebound spire occupies the center of the crater and appears to conceal something beyond it that produces a flickering violet glow. What at first appear to be two large moons in the sky quickly are identified as Faras and Vandhar itself. The party is astonished to discover that they are on Lahib (“Flame”). They are on the moon! The stars are hard points of light in the sky, suggesting that there is no atmosphere to scatter their light, and yet something is allowing breathable (if somewhat chilly) air to exist in the crater.

The most peculiar sight however, is a huge figure towards the far side of the crater, operating an equally huge machine or device. The figure is humanoid, roughly forty feet tall, and looks like some sort of iron giant/golem, it’s body made from solid, albeit rusting iron. It is wearing some sort of brass plate armor. It appears to be covered from head to foot (in those places where the armor does not occlude its skin) with glowing fiery runes, as if they’d been carved into it, exposing some sort of subdural lava flowing through its interior. An equally huge brass sword hangs from its waist. The machine it operates is marginally large that the giant itself, with the long axis horizontal, pointing from the giant away towards the nearest point in the crater wall. The machine appears to be compose of numerous intersecting chrome eggs and a series of red lens on metal support arms are aligned pointed towards the same point of the crater wall. A brilliant beam of energy emerges from the machine, is focused through the lens, and burns a new tunnel (just like the one from which the party emerged) into the stone and dust bank. Clearly, the machine needs to disabled or destroyed.

The party decides to consult Drendar’s Voice for advice. “Does diplomacy or negotiation with the very large being just outside of this tunnel have a reasonable chance of success?” The answer they get is, “No one is home.” It looks like they are going to have to do it the hard way.

Some brief experimentation determines that the lower gravity will be a substantial benefit to fast movement, but will have a detrimental effect on dexterity. The range of projectile weapons would double but, because of the unfamiliarity of the local gravity, accurate shots would become more difficult.

Before any action is taken, the group decides that they more information. First, a better look and the creature and its machine would be helpful. Of potentially more importance, what is causing the glow emanating from behind the rebound peak at the craters center? Mar’aqutt and Zafirah surreptitiously scout around the rebound peak. If the metal giant notices them, it takes no action. What they find on the far side is even more strange than anything seen so far. A forty-foot diameter, vertical whirlpool of eye-wrenching violet light slowly spins in midair. Its purpose/function cannot be determined. After moving a bit, they realize that it looks the same no matter what angle they view it from. It seems to be a sphere, rather than a circle. The two scouts return to the party and report their findings. A plan of attack is formulated.

The entire group will sneak out to the base of the rebound peak, which will reduce their distance to the creature to only about one hundred yards. Once the battle is joined, Hakaad will cast Body of War on himself and join the melee. Once there, a number “buff” spells are cast on the party and potions are consumed for all, Invisibility being one of the more beneficial (hopefully.) The attack is launched and after a fierce battle, the creature is slain. (The creature manages to switch the machine’s beam off before engaging the party, but the machine is still idling in some manner.) Hakaad, Farid, and Nasir all take severe injuries.

While Zaki tends to their wounds, Even after the giant is slain, the machine continues to run unattended. Zafirah and Izdahar examine the strange machine. No matter how hard they try, they cannot seem to make heads or tails of it. The party has noticed that two other tunnels already exist, equidistantly spaced between the one from which they emerged and the one currently be drilled by the machine. They decide to investigate them.

Each tunnel is (apparently) the same length as the original one used by the party. Gravity also switches at the midpoint in each tunnel, returning to what the party would consider normal. Zafirah scouts to the far end of one tunnel (the one closest to the one currently being drilled) and finds a world of ice, as far as the eye can see. There are no recognizable features that would indicate where she is. When the party explores the end of the other tunnel, they send Mar’aqutt. She emerges on a rolling grassy savannah, dotted with small copses of deciduous trees. Examination of the local vegetation leads Mar’aqutt to believe that they are somewhere in the Kahliopsis, uncomfortably close to the Yikaria city of Ranthamboor. Yasmina briefly explores that area immediately outside the tunnel, so as to fix it in her mind as a future teleport destination.

The party returns through the tunnel to Lahib and returns to examine the violet-colored whirlpool. Hakaad are unable to divine any information about it magically so Mar’aqutt chucks a softball-sized rock into it… with absolutely no effect. Hakaad attempts to dispel it (with the dispel magic spell), also to no effect. Izdahar attempts legend lore regarding the vortex and garners no information about it whatsoever.

Frustrated, the party re-enters the mouth of “their” tunnel and rests long enough to recover spells and attend to any remaining injuries.

4th

The party asks Drendar’s Voice, “What is the best method available to us to destroy the violet swirling vortex in the crater?” The answer they get is, “Destroy the farside projector.” Hakaad specifically waits until after the Voice is queried before he memorize his spells for the day. The examines and discards numerous magical options for destroying (or even examine) the vortex and/or drilling machine.

Finally, in an act of desperation, Mar’aqutt volunteers to leap into the vortex on a scouting mission. In preparation, Yasmina casts invisibility on her and Mar’aqutt drinks a <>jump potion. She has a lifeline attached and will go through invisible. With Farid and Nasir gripping the safety line, Mar’aqutt makes a running jump into the sphere. Because of the low gravity, she overestimates the effort required and sails above the centerline (twenty feet up) of the sphere containing the vortex and comes down into the upper surface of the sphere. She is briefly flooded with indescribable sensations and is flung out, stunned, onto the ground on the far side of the vortex. All temporary magic she had (the invisibility spell and the jump potion) have been neutralized, but her permanent magic items seem to be unchanged. The party rushes to her side and, once she recovers, queries her about her experience. Unfortunately, her brief exposure to the alien environment made no sense. Mar’aqutt decides to try again, but just stick her head. The instance her face comes in contact with the sphere, her entire body is sucked in and instantly expelled on the far side. This time, Mar’aqutt is unconscious.

It finally occurs to a few of the party members that the “farside projector” may be on THIS side of the vortex, so perhaps the drilling machine IS the projector. The party decides to have Yasmina use the Wand of Disassembly to take the machine apart. The rest of the party prepares to dash for the tunnel through which they arrived. Yasmina’s first use of the wand causes the machine to start to fall apart. The vortex starts to stutter and synchronized stuttering flashes start to come from all the visible tunnels. A second charge from the wand causes most of the rear end of the machine comes apart. At that same moment, Hakaad casts disintegrate on the front end of the machine where the lens-supporting arms attached. That entire section of the machine vanishes into dust that the lens and their remaining arms fall to the ground.

By this time, the rest of that party is running for the tunnel. Yasmina unleashes a third charge from the wand and what is left of the machine falls apart in a mount of countless tiny gears, springs, and other clockwork components. The vortex is flickering in and out of existence (more out than in.) As actinic flashes of light stutter on and off (in unison) from all the tunnels, Mar’aqutt leads the party’s rush down there tunnel. Suddenly, the tunnel to the icy environment simply winks out of existence. Yasmina grabs Hakaad and dimension doors the two of them to where the party is tearing down “their” tunnel. The party rushes headlong into the blinding, stuttering light in the tunnel and, to the cacophony of thousands of shattered mirrors, find themselves…
                 …violently ejected into a wet, grimy, dimly lit alley. There is no evidence of the tunnel from which they were just ejected. Mar’aqutt sneaks down to the open end of the alley to find that it empties out onto a busy street, bustling with foot traffic and the occasional hand drawn cart. The “people” walking by are every kind imaginable: humans, dwarves, elves, the occasional Halfling, Azer (although no one in the party recognizes them), illithids, flaming, angel-like creatures (planetars, in all likelihood), and countless others all mingle as though such association were the most natural activity in the world. Looking up, they see an entire city spread out upside down several hundred feet above them. Izdahar has vague memories of an extraplanar location called Sigil that matches the description of this place. Zaki and Farid suddenly realize that they can no longer feel the divine presence of Corean. They are cut off from their god!

As the party frantically tries to make sense of their location, a repair crew of Dabu moves by, pulling a cart loaded with cobbles. The party has no idea what they are. Farid tries to talk to them, but they seem to communicate by projecting glowing pictograms in the air above their heads. After a few minutes of fruitless conversation, the Dabu continue on down the street. Meanwhile, Izdahar wanders into the shop adjacent to the alley mouth. A picture of a pitcher is the only adornment outside the business. It appears to be some sort of dining establishment. A humanoid, and vaguely elephantine, individual stands in the doorway surveying the street. He wears a knee-length brown robe, over which is hung a somewhat dirty white apron. He notices Izdahar and immediately invites her and her friends in to “refresh themselves”. Upon being questioned, he informs them that they are in Sigil, the City of Doors. All the party, save for Mar’aqutt, go inside. (She remains outside to watch the population move by.) Zafirah negotiates use of Barr al-Fadi currency, after which they all order tea and snacks. Shortly after the proprietor runs off to the back to prepare food and drink, the party notices a little version of the elephant-like owner peering at the from around the end of the bar. He appears to be the owner’s son and asks the party if they are “outsiders”. When he finds that they are from the prime material plane, he becomes excited and asks about their adventures. He tells them his name is Jubba.

The shop owner returns with tea and assorted light snacks. He’s sends his son scurrying into the back and, when asked, tells the party that his name is Ooday. Hakaad asks him about the “doors” that give Sigil its most famous title. Ooday says that they are everywhere but are not well known to simple businessmen such as he. When he learns that Hakaad is “powerful” mage, Ooday is puzzled as to why Hakaad does not already know all about the doors. Hakaad explains that he is leaned on his home plane but is unfamiliar with many of the aspects of this one. Hakaad then inquires about local spellcasters or sages that might be of help.

After negotiating a cut< blue quartz as payment for his help, Ooday sends Jubba to find someone named Kylie and he (Jubba) zooms off up the street. Shortly thereafter, the shop starts to fill up with customers for a midday meal. They pay the party little attention. About the time the crowd starts to thin out, Jubba returns with a man and young woman. The woman, is slender, has a somewhat ruddy complexion. Two tiny horns sprout from her forehead and a thin, three foot tail with a spade-shaped tip snakes around behind her. The man behind her is tall and built like a weight lifter. He wears leather breeches and a battle harness covered with throwing axes and daggers. The woman is apparently Kylie. She introduces that man as Borne and he’s apparently a body guard.

Kylie learns that the party is looking for a way home and informs them that anything can be had in Sigil… for a price. She and the party discuss the difference between local and Midani currency, to determine how much it will cost the party to hire her services. They work out a daily fee for Kylie of about sixteen dinar (plus expenses) per day. They touch on topics of changing currency, finding local lodging, and so on. First, she takes them to a usurer, where they change four 250 kiam gems for 470 “jinx” (gold toroids).

Kylie explains that she needs to consult with some “experts” to find a portal back to Barr al-Fadi, so she picks out a “kip” for them. While they walk, the party queries Kylie about the various races. Among others identified, Kylie informs them that Ooday and Jubba are Thaskeen (a smaller, less militant relative of the Thaskor.) Kylie leads them into the Lady’s Ward (which Kylie refers to “The Chessboard”) and ultimately to a sort of inn called The Crooked Rook. The party is charged one jinx per person, which includes dinner, breakfast, and a bath. The night passes uneventfully.

5th

It turns out that the hot morning bath is heated by two salamanders (who are actually on staff!) Kylie comes and collects the party (and receives her daily pay in advance again.) She states that she has a “graybeard” lined up for them. They set out back across the Market Ward (which is where they appeared the day before.) At one point, the party passes a trio of muscular armored individuals. Kylie derisively refers to them as “cans”. When asked to elaborate, she tells the party that the three are Harmonium, one of the major factions in Sigil. They are nominally the keepers of the peace, but are widely known for their excessive use of force.

Kylie takes them to a modest two-story brick building, which she says is the home of Bartolamus, the planar sage. Kylie taps on the door and it is opened by a short, young, black-haired gentleman with yellowish skin and epicanthic folds around his eyes. This servant is apparently familiar with Kylie and invites everyone in. He leads everyone down a hallway and up a flight of stairs to a second-floor study. It is cluttered, with all manner of books and scrolls scattered about. However, the most interesting aspect of the study is a shelf along one wall that contains a dozen different orreries, each apparently representing a different planetary system or set of planes. Bartolamus is sitting at a desk, studying a parchment with a magnifying glass. He dismisses Jun (his servant) and asks the parties plane of origin. Upon being told Vandhar, he pulls out a parchment and unrolls it across his desk. It shows a fair representation of the many continents of Vandhar. Of course, the party members are only familiar with the continent Vindarten and Hakaad points out the general location of home.

Bartolamus pulls down a huge tome and, after consulting it for many minutes, locates a more-or-less permanent portal that would take the party to the actual interior of the Golden Library in Maktaba al-Dahab. The downside is that the Sigil end of the portal is in the Hive. Given the capabilities of the party, the location of the portal does not present a problem for them. However, a portal key is still required. Bartolamus does not have a key for that specific portal and it becomes apparent that a key will need to be crafted. Bartolamus drafts a letter to a key splitter name Jarol and he sends his man-servant to deliver it. In the meantime, Bartolamus quotes the party a price of 100 jinx for his services, but will consider a discount if the party can provide information about portals in Barr al-Fadi.

About one hour later, Jun returns with Jarol (a somewhat scruffy-looking little man). Bartolamus explains which key is needed. After brief consideration, Jarol says he can create such a key. A price of 100 jinx is agreed upon for a single-use key, which will take seven days to produce. Bartolamus offers Jarol lunch. Once Jarol has left the study, Bartolamus closes the door and offers an alternate bargain to the party. He will waive his fee and pay half of Jarol’s fee if the party agrees to deliver a small ceramic package to Tajjara. Once that package is delivered, the party will receive another package, which they need to deliver to Elenassi Talabrintarion, the capital of Ardenor. Once that is accomplished, their duty is discharged. A bit of quick math determines that agreeing to the bargain, and having a reusable key made rather than a single-use key, would reduce the total cost to 250 jinx. The party tentatively agrees to the deal and returns to the Crooked Rook to wait out the seven-day construction period for the key.

6th

Individual members of the party come up with different ways to pass the time. Mar’aqutt and Zafirah practice their bladework. Nasir (and Abhi) never venture further than a block from the inn. Farid and Zaki stay to their separate rooms, mostly in meditation. Izdahar spends time in the Great Bazaar listening to a wide variety of bards, singers, and storytellers. Hakaad searches for a means to train up. He tips the proprietor of the inn and is directed to the Lyceum of Planar Knowledge. There, he is introduced to Simeon Whitequill, the headmaster of the school. Simeon agrees to provide Hakaad with a trainer, in exchange for information Hakaad can provide about his own elemental specialty and about specifics of Barr al-Fadi.

7th

Hakaad trains up to 15th level elemental sand mage. Yasmina disappears for the day. Izdahar performs in the Grand Bazaar again and makes a little change. When she returns to the inn (Hakaad has already returned) and is about half a block away, she hears a sound, like distant thunder. The crowd around her stops and listens as well. When the sound fails to reoccur, everyone resumes their previous business.

As Izdahar enters the inn and the door closes behind her, the boom occurs again, only this time it’s loud and sounds like it’s coming from right outside the door. The temperature immediately starts to door. Party members flock to the disturbance. Several members notice that ice is forming on the front wall and windows. Before any action can be taken, several of the windows explode inward, inflicting minor cuts on Hakaad and Izdahar. Now that the frosted windows are not obscuring everyones view, they can see out into the street. A thirty foot tall bipedal creature, apparently made completely of ice, is laying waste to the terrified populace in the street. The creature is attacking people at random with ice and snow, encasing some of the victims completely in ice.

Farid charges into the street, drawing his holy adamantium sword, followed closely by Mar’aqutt. Izdahar takes a step away from the door and begins to sing in support of the combatants. Several party members suffer additional damage from a blast of ice and lose their balance on the icy street as they exit the inn. Hakaad strikes the first serious blow with a cone of sand upwards at the creatures head. The creature suffers significant damage but remains upright. Farid regains his footing, steps up to the creature (well, it’s foot), and attacks with his long sword. The creature reaches for Farid, but before it can grab him, it vanishes. As the party gathers their wits, they notice a woman just the street about a block away, just floating a few inches off the ground. It is the Lady of Pain. She does nothing but turn away from the group and fade away. When that monster vanished, so did all the other Sigil citizens who were encased in ice. The party cautiously re-enters the inn and tries not to do anything to further frighten the locals. The pubican, Mackendou, says that he has lived in Sigil his entire life and has never seen anything like that. It’s also the first (and hopefully last) time he’s ever actually seen the Lady in person.

The rest of the day in the common room of the inn is somewhat subdued. The 3rd meal is served as normal, while the staff boards up the broken windows (until the glass can be replaced.) The rest of the night passes uneventfully.

8th

During an otherwise uneventful breakfast, Izdahar hears a crier outside selling a daily news sheet. She goes out and buys one. The headlines state that a huge ice creature (or creatures) attacked Sigil in five different locations yesterday. According to eye witnesses, the Lady dispatched every single one of them. The article also mentions that a group of “outsider cutters” stood up to one of them in the street in front of the Crooked Rook. Of the five attacks, that is the only one where anyone attempted to do anything (other than simply scream and run.) As a result, the creature that the party fought with apparently killed the fewest people. A few other customers in the common room are also reading copies of the news sheet and they begin to cast hesitant, side-long glances at the party.

Just as breakfast ends, Kylie walks in the front door. Dressed in head to foot in leather, she looks like an ad for a bondage magazine (if the party knew what a “bondage magazine” was.) She tells the party that Bartolamus sent her and that they should gather up their possessions and come with her.

When they arrive at the sage’s home, Kylie simply pushes passed Jun and hurries upstairs. Upon arriving in the study, they find Bartolamus reorganizing a thoroughly tossed room. He informs them that a) he has (obviously) been burglarized, and b) a runner came by earlier to inform him that Jarol (the key splitter) has disappeared from his residence. Bartolamus claims to be somewhat “out of his depth” but suggests that they all examine Jarol’s home before the “authorities” decide to make it off-limits.

Donning a cloak and picking up a staff, Bartolamus leads the party a dozen blocks across the ward to a non-descript home. After looking around to see if anyone is paying undue attention to the group, he turns the latch on the front door. Oddly, it is unlocked and he simply walks right in, followed by the party. The workshop has been completely tossed. All the other rooms in the house exhibit lesser disturbance. Jarol is nowhere in evidence and there is nothing to suggest any violence occurred (no blood, etc.)

Bartolamus suggests that they investigate the cellar. He takes them to a closet that contains a tight spiral stairs down. Descending forty feet, it opens out into the center of a forty-foot diameter round room containing sixteen doors set equidistant in the wall. The spiral stairs continue down. The stonework is simple and sturdy. Each door is built like a bank vault. Each door has a pair of holes in the metal frame; a large one and a small one. Upon inspection, Mar’aqutt determines that the most recent disturbances indicate that whoever was there last did not stop on this floor but rather continued down the stairs. Mar’aqutt proceeds downward, the rest of the party (and Bartolamus) following at a discreet distance.

The stairs descend twenty feet to a smaller (twenty-feet in diameter) room, with only four vault doors at the cardinal points. Once again, Mar’aqutt searches for signs of recent activity. (She’s doing this rather than Zafirah, because it’s more of a tracking activity than a “search for traps” type of activity.) Mar’aqutt finds nothing.

Again, the stairs descend twenty feet to a room identical to the last one visited. Four vault doors are again positioned at each of the cardinal points.

Once more, the stairs descend twenty feet, where they come to an end in the center of another twenty-foot diameter circular chamber. This chamber is different. There are five doors total; three at three of the four cardinal points and the other two centered in between the two gaps made by the first three. The wall covering the rest of the chamber is blank.

The temperature in this room is below freezing and one of the doors is open. The tracks become visible as they approach the door, because they are in snow. When Mar’aqutt peeks through the door, she finds the space beyond only extends about one foot before ending in a blank stone face. Bartolamus opines that the portal behind that door is not active.

Bartolamus is troubled and tells the party that, while he was aware of the previous three chambers they just passed, he had no knowledge of this one. He explains that the first chamber (with the sixteen doors) goes to each of sixteen outer planes. The doors in the second chamber go to each of the four elemental planes. The four doors in the chamber immediately above them go to the ethereal plane, the astral plane, the positive energy plane, and the negative energy plane. He suspects that this is the room where Jarol experiments. Izdahar proposes going up to the ground and searching for any notes or documents that might shed light on the current situation. Hakaad suggests trying to find another pair of Jarol’s boots to see if they match these footprints in the snow.

Zafirah finds another pair of boots and it becomes obvious that whoever left the tracks in the snow had measurably larger feet that Jarol. Izdahar goes through a few of the countless document before deciding that the total disarray of the place makes finding any useful writings is an exercise in futility.

When Zafirah comes back upstairs to put the boots back, she happens to look down at one of the many sheets of parchment scattered about the house. The first line catches her attention, so she reads the whole document, which consists of three lines:

        New Key for Bartolamus
        Right words for toast
        Koren obelisk = cold + suffering, tell Blackshield?

After reading it, she shows it to the rest of the party. Zafirah asks Bartolamus who Blackshield is. Bartolamus thinks is may be a reference to Bhaltair Blackshield. He was the commander of the Ysgard host, but is now retired.

Suddenly, a horrific wave of pain rips through everyone. Izdahar, Yasmina, and Bartolamus all collapse. The excruciating sensation lasts for ten or fifteen seconds and then ceases abruptly. Farid pokes his head out the front door and can hear all manner of cries, shouts, and sobs of anguish and surprise. Clearly this event, at a minimum, affected the entire neighborhood.

Mar’aqutt regains her composure and heads downstairs, Nasir is on her heels. She proceeds to the bottom cellar level, checking each one she passes, to see if anything has come through any of the portals. Upon reaching the bottom level, they find nothing different from that last time any party member is present.

Mar’aqutt slowly ascends back to the ground floor, trying to determine whether or not any invisible beings were present. She find nothing, either in the below-ground chambers or the rooms on the ground floor.

Farid suggest that the party should contact Blackshield for more information. Zafirah asks which door in the cellar goes to Ysgard and Bartolamus replies that he believes Blackshield is here in Sigil. He doesn’t know where but should be able to send out a number of runners and track him down in a few hours. He suggests that the party return to his home, locking up this place behind when they leave. The walk back to Bartolamus’s home is educational. Everyone they encounter on the way back appears to have endured the same painful experience as the party. Upon arriving at their destination, they learn that Jun also suffered the attack.

Bartolamus has Jun secure the services of about half a dozen runners. They are told to a) find General Blackshield, and b) along the way, ask people if they experienced that moment of pain. Once they’ve dispersed, Bartolamus has Jun make tea and Sampalla (spiced coffee) for everyone and they then get comfortable and wait.

About two and a half hours later, a group of “street urchins” return to Bartolamus’s home, accompanied by a rather dour and somewhat confused dwarf. Once Jun invites Blackshield (for it is he) in, Bartolamus introduces him to the party and has the party introduce themselves to him. The party asks if he know Jarol or has ever heard of the Koren obelisk. Blackshield doesn’t profess to recognize either. While they discuss those topics, Jun enters and quietly advises Bartolamus that, according to the kids (runners), the pain was felt at least one and a half wards away (in both directions.) It may have been felt by people further away, but that was only as far as the runners went before returning. Upon hearing of this, Blackshield exclaims that he was at home, in his parlor, when he felt the pain and it dropped him to his knees.

Blackshield studies the parchment taken from Jarol’s home and he gets a distant look in his eyes. Then he mutters, “Grysimbryl.” Bartolamus frowns, as he recognizes the name. Blackshield looks up from the document and repeats, “Grysimbryl, the para-elemental plane of ice the intersection between the plane of water and the plane of negative energy.

Blackshield explains that no one goes to Grysimbryl by choice, for fear of running afoul of Leska, the Ice Queen, ruler of Grysimbryl. Blackshield states that he doesn’t know what this obelisk is, but he knows someone who could probably find out. He asks to keep the parchment (which the party agrees to) and requests that the party meet him tomorrow, one hour past the first meal at the Lyceum of Planar Knowledge.

Feeling stonewalled yet again, the party slumps back to the Crooked Rook to pass another night. Once there, they decide to see if Drendar’s Voice works in Sigil. The question that they ask is, “Are the recent events we have experienced in Sigil a deliberate attempt to thwart us from achieving our goals?” The answer is “No.” Yasmina muses that perhaps the answer isn’t as straightforward as it might appear, in that the mechanical sage may know more about the party’s goals than the party itself actually does.

9th

After first meal, the Hakaad guides the party to the Lyceum, where they are met by Bartolamus. The group is escorted into a small auditorium (sixty feet wide by seventy feet deep.) There is a podium on a stage in the front and multiple rows of curved, theater-style seating at the rear. There are also seats set up along one side, which Bartolamus and the party are directed to. Blackshield enters with two other men, one of whom Hakaad already knows. It is Whitequill, the headmaster of the Lyceum. Another dwarf with them, who appears to be somewhat younger than Blackshield, is introduced as Kirean Deeprock. Deeprock is a professional tactical and is also Whitequill’s personal bodyguard.

Whitequill addresses the assembled audience, informing them that the recent assortment of cold-related and pain attacks can be traced directly to Leska, the Ice Queen. He also points out that Leska should have nowhere near the power required to exert that sort of force across the planes. Spies and divination has revealed she (Leska) has placed her chief inquisitor, Karven, in charge of a new project, mething called “The Scourge”. It is also referred to as the Koren Obelisk. It is known that learned individuals (mages, sages, and talented craftsmen) have been disappearing across a number planes for nearly two years. It has been learned that the suffering of those kidnap victims power the obelisk. With it fully functional, Leska could eliminate anyone, anywhere across all the planes, without ever leaving the comfort of her throne.

Blackshield takes over from Whitequill. He states that the attacks of the previous day were a trial run of the almost completed obelisk. Further information suggests that it should be fully functional within a month. An aid conjures a semi-solid illusion of a frozen “sand table”. Blackshield explains that this is the valley encompassing the Scourge and he points out the sole access point, what the enemy refers to at the “Frost Needle’s Eye”. Blackshield states that the obelisk may be destroyed by misdirection. Blackshield states that they have access to no team as powerful the party. As such, he proposes that his armies engage the defending force to draw them aside, after which the party enters by stealth, proceeds to the fortress housing the obelisk, and destroy it. Once it is eliminated, the spell barriers should vanish, and the party should be able to leave with ease.

Hakaad asks what compensation the party could expect for participating. Blackshield states that, upon completion, the party would be provided to a portal gate key to any destination of their choosing, plus the waiving of all fees they may have already incurred. After discussion and no small amount of grumbling, the party agrees.

Bartolamus bids everyone farewell and good luck, then he leaves. Blackshield indicates that the party will leave Sigil tomorrow morning for a staging area (which he does not immediately elaborate on) and the actual attack will take place the next day. He then puts the not-inconsequential resources of Sigil at the party’s disposal. He suggests curative wands and so on. Zaki immediately asks for two wands containing Cure Moderate Wounds, two containing Cure Serious Wounds, and one containing Cure Critical Wounds. Blackshield suggests that the party return to their inn and make a list. A courier will stop by after third meal to collect the list. The party also remembers that they have the collection of wands gifted to them by Muktar. The wands are disbursed as follows:

  • See Invisibility(Yasmina)
  • Lightning Bolt (Izdahar)
  • Neutralize Poison (Mar’aqutt)
  • Bear’s Endurance (Hakaad)
  • Cat’s Grace (Yasmina) (8 charges have been used)
  • Cure Serious Wounds (Farid)
  • and Remove Disease (Farid)

The Cat’s Grace and Bear’s Endurance wands have all been used eight times each (one per party member for the battle on the moon.) All the others are fully charged. Farid points out that everyone in the party should begin the mission with Endure Elements cast on them. After substantial discussion, the party asks for (and receives) the following items:

Yasmina gets a Wand of Endure Elements (PH 226) (8 charges are expended on the party at the beginning of the mission.)

Mar’aqutt gets three wands:

  • Wand of Pass w/o Trace (PH 259) (10th level)
  • Wand of Cure Serious Wounds (3d8+10)
  • Wand of Snowshoes (SC 194) (10th level)
    • (8 charges are expended from the 1st and 3rd wands on the party at the beginning of the mission.)

Farid, Mar’aqutt, Zafirah, Nasir, Zaki, and Izdahar each get the following:

  • Lesser Weapon Crystals of Fire Assault (MIC 64)

Farid gets a Lesser Clasp of Cold Protection (MIC 24)

  • Chainmail +2, Greater Cold Resistance (DMG 218)
  • Wand of Cure Moderate Wounds x 2 (2d8+10)

Izdahar gets a Wand of Cure Serious Wounds (3d8+10)

Yasmina gets the following:

  • Rod of Absorption (DMG 234)
  • Metamagic Rod, Maximize
  • Wand of Fireballs (10th level)

Hakaad gets the following mundane spell components:

  • 3 sm. glass globes
  • 8 sm. glass statuettes

A courier arrives at the inn just before 3rd meal to collect the above “shopping list” from the party and also to deliver a sealed message to Farid. (Because of his class and station, they assume that Farid is the leader of the party, much to Zafirah’s amusement.) It is a message from Blackshield stating that there has been a slight change of plan, which should not affect the party whatsoever. The change is the location of the staging area. After some brief negotiations, they are going to stage the assault force in Arborea rather than Ysgard. Specifically, they are going to stage in Mithardir, the empty layer of Arborea. They thought that, given where the party calls home, they would probably be more comfortable there.

The party is requested to return to the Lyceum immediately after first meal tomorrow. Also, they should plan on leaving their animal companions (Sudha and Abhi) behind in Sigil. Skilled and kind animal handlers will care for them until the party returns. The rest of the evening and that night pass uneventfully.

10th

The party arrives at the Lyceum to find only three people waiting for them; Blackshield, Whitequill, and a short, portly older man who introduces himself as Talamon as states he’ll be their “coachman for the morning.” Blackshield interrupts and shows the party where all the items they requested are waiting. Some magic item shuffling (especially “Cure” wands) between party members and then they are ready. Whitequill bids them farewell and good luck.

The party, along with Blackshield and Talamon gather together in a cleared area in the middle of the chamber. Talamon conjures some sort of portal, which the party steps through. With that, they find themselves standing on the white sands of Mithardir, the desert layer of Arborea. Turning around, they see a huge tent city, which seems to stretch to the horizon and must contain five thousand or more troops.

Blackshield leads the party into the camp, where they find that tents have been prepared especially for them and furnished in Al-Badia style.

This is the most hodge-podge army the party has ever seen. There are divisions of dwarven axemen and columns of elven archers side-by-side with centaur and bariaur cavalry. Aasimar cataphracts drill alongside goliaths dressed only in leather girdles. Other races too varied and unknown to mention are scattered about, all making preparations for war. The party settles into their temporary quarters and begin going over their equipment and preparing for action.

Blackshield comes back by late in the afternoon. He informs the party that he would like to breakfast with them tomorrow morning and will be accompanied by the priest that will provide the Heroes Feast for them.

After sunset, charcoal brazier fires by the hundreds spring up all throughout the encampment. Many of the disparate groups of warriors are singing, each in their own tongue. The night sky is breathtakingly beautiful, but totally alien.

Blackshield returns and asks to enter the party’s tent, saying he would like to discuss the actions of tomorrow with them. He spreads a map and explains that the army expects to attack from five different points. The map shows the valley of the obelisk with specific details for the entrance to the valley. He says there is a short tunnel, followed by a half-mile long causeway. This empties into the valley proper. However, the inner end of the causeway is guarded by a small keep and a cave which contains “The Eye”. With this eye, some unknown creature in that cave can scry the entire valley. If the creature can be slain, the scrying ability can be neutralized.

The five-pronged attack will be to attempt to fool the defenders of the valley that the walls around it can be topped. Hopefully, this will draw away the forces from the tunnel entrance. Once the eye has been blinded, the party is to proceed across the valley to the fortress containing the obelisk. They are to then enter the fortress and destroy the obelisk. Once that is complete, the party should be able to exfiltrate with relative ease. After answering a few additional questions, Blackshield bids all of them a good night and he leaves.

Once he is gone, the party decides to use Drendar’s Voice to determine the type of creature known as the “Keeper of the Eye”. The question they finally ask is, “What is the creature known as the Keeper of the Eye, in the valley of Leska, on the plane of Grysimbryl?” The answer provided by the Voice is, “Aboleth Savant.” Following that answer, the party spends a while discussing the known strengths and weaknesses of Aboleths and then turn in for the night.

11th

Blackshield arrives with an attractive, black-haired elven woman in a red robe. She introduces herself as Willowwan and states that she is a priestess of Kord (a god not familiar to anyone in the party.) She provides a Heroes Feast for the party as breakfast, and joins Blackshield and them in it. They have the benefits of that spell for the next 12 hours. Willowwan bids them all good luck and departs. Blackshield bids them wait a short time and he will return.

When he comes back, he is in full battle armor and carries a full-length dwarven war-axe. He asks that they follow him to the marshalling area for the needle assault force. The party follows him to the location. While they wait, they use the wands to cast the first of the buff spells they plan to employ. Ask they approach the gate they intent to use, Blackshield bids them farewell, saying that he goes to lead his own troops. He states that he is certain that, once they reach the other side of the gate, they will recognize the situation and be able to deal with it appropriately.

The party steps through the gate and must immediately step aside to make room for those coming behind them. There appear to be over two hundred mixed infantry already in place ahead of them. Vicious blowing snow is hitting them from the side; if not for the protections spells cast earlier, the party would be freezing.

An icy cliff rises up out of the frozen plain about fifty yards ahead of them. A rock tunnel is clearly visible directly in front of them at ground level. A defending force of heavily armored orcs lay in between the friendly soldiers and the tunnel. They are supported by several fiendish mammoths, which charge without any regard for friend or foe. A twelve foot tall figure, covered in white, rune-covered plate armor, stands to the rear of the orcs. Then he attacks the friendly troops with clawed gauntlets, leaving a bloody swath in his wake.

Several party members launch individual ranged attacks against either one of the mammoths or the giant in white armor, then they all form up per Farids direction. Yasmina employs her Wand of Fireballs against the nearest fiendish mammoth and inflicts severe damage.

Once everyone is in position per Farids command, they advance in formation through the maelstrom of steel and blood before them. Along the way, several more arrow shots from the party finish off the nearest mammoth. Once it falls, the party moves directly into the tunnel.

Roughly one hundred feet later, the party emerges on a stone causeway that enters the valley. After about three quarters of a mile, the party comes in sight of the causeways end. A small stone bunker is visible on a low hill to the right of the causeway. A bit closer and further to the right, a slightly larger hill looms near. Three quarters of the way up that hill, a small cave is visible. A very poor, narrow trail leads from the base of the hill up, about forty feet, to the mouth of the cave.

Mar’aqutt and Zafirah move stealthily up the trail, with the rest of the party following a safe distance behind. Reaching the thirty-foot wide cave mouth, Mar’aqutt and Zafirah look inside to see a sloping floor that descends into the hill. About forty-feet into the cave, a humming flickering wall of energy completely obstructs any further view.

Once the entire party has arrived on the ledge in front of the cave, they begin to slowly advance with Zafirah in the lead. The stone floor descends gently into the cave and is covered with a thin layer of snow and ice. Even at the current distance, the party can faintly feel heat from the wall of fire. Hakaad attempts to dispel the wall of fire with no success. Zaki then attempts to do the same and the wall vanishes in a flash of orange light.

With the flame barrier gone, the party can see further into the cave. With light filtering into this ice cave, the party can see that the sloping path continues down approximately one hundred and forty feet before it levels out into a level snowy cavern floor. A pair of stone columns reach up from the snowy floor and stretch almost to the ceiling. The cavern floor extends another two hundred and fifty with a floor of packed snow. At the far end, a small exposed sheet of ice glows a faint blue radiance that adds some additional light to the cavern.

The party advances, with Nasir and Farid in the lead. About thirty feet beyond where the wall of fire was located, Farid and Nasir trigger some sort of blue-white glyph in the floor of the passage. It flashes and then was gone. Hakaad recognizes it as a Symbol of Stunning. Other than an instantaneous surge of disorientation, neither Hakaad or Farid are affected by it.

The party continues to advance cautiously, with Zafirah searching for magical traps. Yasmina uses her Vatic Gaze and is disconcerted by the discovery that the entire cavern radiates magic! After a bit of concentration, she determines that the lion’s share of the magic is illusion.

To Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the cavern appears much larger, with more stone columns, a much larger ice sheet, and two small passage ways leading off of either side of the chamber. Faint scenes from all over the valley are flickering rapidly across the ice sheets. There are also a number of creatures, both large and small, already occupying the cavern. A pair of giant frost worms, one on either side of the chamber, are reared back and ready to attack. To the rear of the chamber, also concealed by the illusionary walls, are two people and a large bipedal creature. One of the people is an orc dressed in spiked, full-plate armor, all in bloody red. The other is a woman in a short black dress. She appears to not be bothered by the cold in any way. She is decorated with numerous necklaces, all of which appear to contain countless finger bones.

The large creature is a white insect-like being, with two pairs of arms and a bug head surmounted by a pair of compound eyes. It is armed with a very large spear. (This is a Gelugon, or Ice Devil.)

Bordering these three figures are two large dog-like creatures. They appear as a pair of coal black mastiffs the size of draft horses. They have matted fur, red glowing eyes, and are armored in a ruddy colored chainmail. (These are Nessian Warhounds.)

A frail old man, visible to everyone, is standing at the back of the chamber. He wears a thick winter cloak and a metal helmet made to look like the upper half of a bear’s skull. However, to Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the ol man is obviously an illusion.

Izdahar and Hakaad make hurried attempts at warning the rest of the party as to the true nature of the chamber. Zaki cries out some sort of abjuration in the name of Corean which causes the illusionary walls in the chamber to dissolve. The view of the cavern floor remains unchanged. However, now the entire party can see the rest of the cavern as it really is, plus they can now see all of individuals and creatures occupying the cavern. Unfortunately, except for Hakaad, Izdahar, Zaki, and Nasir, the illusionary man at the far end of the chamber still looks quite real to everyone else. Izdahar identifies both the Gelugon and the warhounds and informs the party.

The (illusionary) old man at the far end of the chamber speaks. He congratulates the party on making it this far. However, he states, the party and the armies backing them are no match for Leska. He makes no attempt to lure the party to his side. He merely suggests that they leave immediately. Then they may live out their lives in relative safety, for Leska will only destroy those who she deems a threat or obstacle. If the party refuses to leave, the old man says that he will have no choice but to insure their perpetual agony. When the party refuses, the old man replies, “Oh, well. I would much rather torment you anyway. Velkiss, destroy them!”

Zafirah fires an arrow into one of the two frost worms while the old man is monologuing. Izdahar quickly advises the rest of the party that the old man is an illusion. The armored orc charges the party while Izdahar launches a fireball from her wand at the second worm.Then, things gets complicated.

The ice devil hits the party with an ice storm. The worm that Izdahar fire balled begins to trill, effectively stunning Farid and Zaki. Nasir backhands Farid, jarring him out of his condition. Yasmina pulls out her own wand of fireballs and launches one at the other worm. The woman in the black dress attempts to dominate one of the party members, but apparently fails. Izdahar notices Yasmina flinch but she seems to shake off the mental attack. The aboleth (unseen under the ice) psionically invokes hypnotic pattern, which fascinates Farid. Zafirah and Mar’aqutt launch volleys of arrows at the enemy. One of the war hounds advances and mauls Zafirah. Izdahar launches another fireball from her wand at the worm. Hakaad casts a wall of sand across the chamber, effectively blocking the party visually from all the medium and large size opponents at the far end of the cavern. Farid manages to shake off the fascination, but is injured by one of the nullifiers when he moves to recover his sword and shield. He responds by cleaving it in twain. On his follow-through, he takes a big bite out of one of the worms. Nasir takes several chunks out of one of the war hounds with his scimitars. The ice devil lashes out with a cone of cold, which catches both Zafirah and Nasir, plus both the hounds! One of the hounds succumbs to the cold damage and dies. Yasmina hits another of the creatures with a lightning bolt. Zafirah backstabs one of the Nullifiers for good damage. The remaining war hound attacks Mar’aqutt for moderate damage. Mar’aqutt returns the favor and puts several arrows in the hound at point blank range, slaying the creature. She then turns and puts two arrows in one of the frosts worms. Izdahar give Zaki a hard shove to try and get him to snap out of his state, then she uses her wand of fireballs the giant worm again. Hakaad casts a haboob, which envelopes the ice devil. One of the worms unleashes another blast of icy breath, which hits Nasir, Farid, Zafirah, and the remaining nullifier. Nasir and Zafirah manage to avoid the blast, but Farid is severely injured. The nullifier is destroyed. Farid charges the ice devil but fails to connect with his sword. Nasir steps up and connects with his left scimitar, but Farid thinks the blow should have caused substantially more damage than it appears to have. Mar’aqutt then succeeds at putting an arrow into the thing. Izdahar, Mar’aqutt, Yasmina, and Zaki all suffer an icy blast from one of the worms. Yasmina, in particular, takes major damage. (NOTE: I incorrectly had Zaki dying in this attack because I misremembered the amount of damage reduction provided by the cold resistance of his magic chainmail. He did, in face, survive.) In retaliation, Yasmina blows the worms head completely off with a sound lance. Zafirah puts a flaming arrow into the other worm, which finishes it off. She tries a second arrow at the ice devil, to no effect.

Hakaad’s wall of sand suddenly collapses. Mar’aqutt immediately launches four arrows at the woman in the short black dress. Two strike home. The heavily armored orc swings and hits Zafirah with his flaming axe. Izdahar heals some of her injuries with one of the curative wands. The ice devil fires off another cone of cold, which injures Hakaad. Farid casts knights move as a swift action and teleports to a position flanking the ice devil, whereupon he unleashes a full attack. (NOTE: this spell should have failed due to the teleportation inhibiting field covering the valley, but I forgot about it in the heat of battle, so it’ll stand as is.) He scores one telling blow, grievously wounding the fiend again. Yasmina fires a disintegrate spell at the ice devil, but it manages to resist the bulk of the spells damage. Even so, it suffers still further injury. Mar’aqutt puts another arrow (adamantine, this time) into the ice devil. By this point, he’s looking really ragged. Izdahar burns a charge of her wand of magic missiles and hits the spellcaster in the black dress with five magic missiles. Hakaad casts acid sheath on himself and then moves up right into the face of the orc, taunting him to strike. The ice devil stands up to his full height and taunts Farid. However, when Farid attacks with his sword, the blade swings right though the image of the devil, who promptly evaporates into thin air. Yasmina glares at the orc and promptly vanishes. (Invisibility? Dimension Door? Who knows?) Zafirah puts another arrow in the orc, followed by Mar’aqutt who puts two more in him. She then puts a third one into him which staggers him. He’s starting to look like a pin cushion and can barely stay on his feet. The orc turns towards Mar’aqutt and points his flaming great axe at her. A tongue of unholy black flame leaps out and strikes her, delivering serious damage.

Amazing as it may seem, only half a minute has elapsed since battle was joined. Hakaad casts acid breath which, augmented by the existing acid sheath, slays the orc with an acid bath which slays him. Farid charges the woman in the black dress and strikes her a fearsome blow. Yasmina swears at the same woman and then hits her with a sound lance, which slays her.

The illusionary figure at the far end of the cavern blares at the party, “You will all suffer greatly for that!” (apparently referring to the slain woman) and then fades from view.

Those party members with curative wands use them on all the injured party members to heal the majority of their injuries. By the time that is done, only Farid, Hakaad, Izdahar, and Nasir are still injured, and those are minor.

Led by Mar’aqutt, the party searches the bodies of the orc in plate mail, the woman spellcaster in the black dress, the two creatures wrapped in black leather, the two warhounds, and the frost worms. In addition to all other possessions collected from the dead, the party salvages two collars from the slain warhounds. Yasmina’s vatic gaze determines that they radiate divination magic. Hakaad takes up the mithril buckler that was taken from the slain woman. The rest of the “loot” is immediately squirreled away in either handy haversacks or bags of holding.

Knowing that there is supposed to be an aboleth somewhere about, the party begins casting about for its possible locations. The two side passages seem to be likely candidates. Then Mar’aqutt suggests that the party use Drendar’s Voice to zero in on their target, the eye. So, they ask the following question, “Where is the eye located in this cavern system?” The answer that they receive is, “You’re standing on it.”

Yasmina has a spell called channeled sound blast, which she’s never actually used before. It would take a while to use. After some discussion, the party decides that a shot from one of wands of fireballs would be the most effective against the ice sheet. Izdahar fires off a charge and melts a shallow crater in the ice. She does not, however, penetrate through it. A second shot from the wand punches a hole through the ice, which now appears to be roughly two feet thick. A large pool of dark open water is now exposed in the center of the area.

Before the party can decide how to proceed next, the open pool of water erupts with a number of slimy tentacles as the aboleth heaves itself out of the water and rushes towards the party!

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Uses of Drendar’s Voice

1499
Arbata’sh (14)
20th What direction should we travel for the next leg of our quest? “Travel to worlds end.”
23rd “Who is responsible for starting the Genosha-Caliphate War?” Gyddirian of Ranthamboor.
1500
Wahid (1)
2nd (Paraphrase) who is the source of the rumor maligning Sauf al-Sahar and Hakaad in particular. “Man never in Banja.”
4th “What creature guards the Flaw?” “Jabberwock.”
17th “What is the current location of the individual responsible for introducing the false rumors about Sauf al-Sahar?” “Royal palace, Shadazar”.
18th “What is the name of the person responsible for initiating the slander of Sauf al-Sahar and Hakaad al-Rimal in particular?” Denash ibn Denash”.
19th “Does Nasir bare anyone in the party ill-will?” “No”.
20th What vulnerabilities do the H’Laqu have? Usual methods are limited.”
21st “When did the H’Laqu first arrive in Barr al-Fadi?” “Wahid 22, 1499.”
22nd Where did the H’Laqu first arrive? Kahliopsis.”
23rd Why have the H’Laqu come to Barr al-Fadi? Target of opportunity.”
24th Just as fiends of the realms below are harmed unduly by silver and cold iron, is there any material of our world that causes the H’Laqu more pain than mere steel? Mundane weapons especially effective.”
25th In the eyes of the lord of Hell who believes us to be his servants, when did our servitude begin? Wahid 10, 1499.”
26th “How do we find the lair of the H’Laqu that is in or around Dharm?” Seek Temple of Hallah.
27th What is the most dangerous foe that we could potentially encounter between here and the Temple of Hallah? There are numerous liches.”
28th Would it be possible for Sauf al-Sahar to negotiate with the residents of Dharm for safe passage to the Temple of Hallah? Most emphatically, yes.
Tnain (2)
1st With which entity should we negotiate to best insure safe passage through Dharm to the Temple of Hallah? Contact Azhaven the necromancer.”
3rd Does diplomacy or negotiation with the very large being just outside of this tunnel have a reasonable chance of success? No one is home.”
4th What is the best method available to us to destroy the violet swirling vortex in the crater? Destroy the farside projector.”
8th Are the recent events we have experienced in Sigil a deliberate attempt to thwart us from achieving our goals? No.”
10th What is the creature known as the Keeper of the Eye, in the valley of Leska, on the plane of Grysimbryl? Aboleth Savant.”
11th Where is the eye located in this cavern system? You’re standing on it.”

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Last updated on 10 November 2014.