D&D 5E Al-Qadim Moving Through the Flame

[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]Derafsh sucks his lower lip, rubbing the back of his head where Amina had struck him, coincidentally at the edge of his second mouth. "Not banditry and not working for the Sheikh. I've tasted enough of both to last me a lifetime. Something with a greater promise of reward. There are lots of opportunities for an enterprising businessman in Tajar...perhaps imports and exports...perhaps we could even give Jina the Bold a run for her coin unearthing artifacts from the desert..."[/SECTION]

 

[Thateous]

"What are your sisters desires?"

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[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]If caged birds could sing, Derafsh would be a cockatiel, delving into the familial and political nuance with wry relish. Neither he, nor his second mouth, seem to have a shortage of words. Yet when Akilah asks about his sister, he falls sullen, studying the ground as he rolls his newly freed wrists. "There is no telling my sister Fereshte's mind. Even when we served the old Sultan, her allegiance was always...tentative."

After a moment of thought, he clears his throat. "She used to boast, when she had too much palm wine, that one day she would start her own tribe in the desert, and that everyone who spat upon us or tossed stones would find their fortunes waning. She is the more sentimental of us," Derafsh offers diplomatically, attempting to avoid painting his sister as a villain.[/SECTION]

[SECTION]At last realizing that Derafsh has a second mouth, and perhaps a bit uncomfortable being out of the spotlight at his own menagerie, Suelasta chirps up, "Why, my good man, with a curse like that you could do nicely in my menagerie! I just so happen to have several spaces I need to fill. Never fear, oh Vizier, I wouldn't keep him caged like some common beast. That is, ah, perhaps a bed there and a chest of drawers here..." He rambles motioning to different areas of the cell.[/SECTION]

[SBLOCK=Salahuddin]Easifa's telepathic communication tickles Salahuddin’s inner ear, “The veiled woman from Rawun's Well heads toward the western gate. She has retrieved a pack and seems to be making ready to travel, but keeps looking over her shoulder as if she senses she is followed and takes a tortuously winding path through the city. Already I have passed an umm ali (sweet pastry pudding) baker, a boy selling candied pistachios, and a family supping on mohallabiah (sweet milk porridge)! How far do you desire that I should follow her on an empty stomach, oh my master?"[/SBLOCK]

 

[Thateous]

"I see. As with any family your desires are different but your bond is strong. Please take me to them. Only me."

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[Shayuri]

Amina clears her throat.

"I may not leave your side, honored one," she says.

 

[Thateous]

"Well you left my side earlier to..." she lets her sentence trail off. "Ah well if that's the case then just ensure I don't see you." Akilah says as she takes Derafsh's arm in hers. She smiles as she addresses
Derafsh, "So where to? I trust I'll be safe under your care?"

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[VLAD the Destroyer]

No return to the well. I will meet you there soon.

Salahuddin looks at Akilah. Going with this man alone was not a good idea.

"And what about the rest of us? Should we just wait here for you? I do not think you going off alone even with your capable handmaiden is a good idea."

 

[Shayuri]

"You were not alone then," Amina says quietly, but firmly.

She does nod though at Akilah's suggestion that she accompany her out of sight.

 

[Thateous]

Akilah ponders on Salahuddin's question for a moment before responding, "Return to the Palace. Who knows... if this goes south I might beat you there." she says with a sly grin and a wink to her sister.

OOC: Najiyah is familiar with Akilah's teleportation spell, hence the wink.

 

[Quickleaf]

GM: Btw, if you guys want to split the party at any time, I have no problems running that. In this case, while Akilah & "Amina" would go with Derafsh to Rawun's Well, Kaniel, Najiyah, and Salahuddin could... Have a little R&R at the Palace getting acquainted with one another (i.e. PC-to-PC roleplaying). Speak with NPCs at the Palace, such as the brother and sister sea mages (Ihsan and Nireen al-Bahr-Izdiham), or members of Sheikh Ali's court (like his rawuna Dulcet Riqqiyah or his son Afzal who is honorary commander of the cavalry). Investigate the 3rd merchant who was robbed by the raiders: Hamsar the Swift, who operates funerary caravans. Handle any purchases or caravan preparations you want to make in the markets. Just let me know the direction you all decide on? Also, here is a quick recap of clues about the raiders since I thought you could use one: [SECTION]The Clues Thus far... Sheikh Ali noted the raiders-in-black have attacked Sinna Oasis and Hakim Oasis (both SW of Tajar), the western caravan route to Akota (who deal in rare woods & slaves), and the village of Turab (SE of Tajar) in an especially bloody attack that left two acolytes of Hakiyah dead and a qadi (judge) mutilated. The raiders take everything they can and are merciless killers. He pointed out 3 merchants who'd run across the raiders: Jina the Bold (antiquities dealer), Suelasta the Magnificent (monster keeper), and Hamsar the Swift (funeral expert). Jina the Bold revealed the raiders stole 60,000 gp worth of antiquities from her caravans, including clay urns (sometimes associated with earth elemental binding) bearing inscriptions of old elven rituals predating the Loregiver dealing with akashta bariyat (“shield creature” in Elven). She also complained that she was having lots of competition for sites holding antiquities with House Uqab (League of the Vulture), though that may be unrelated to the raiders. Of particular interest was Jina's description of the raiders... "The raiders were tall, either the most robust of men, jann, or some other tall race. They wore dark black abas (robes) and kaftans (tunics) and wielded scimitars and bows. They raided my caravan near Hakim Oasis before we reached Qaybar. It was a trap, for they lay in wait for us throughout the oasis, or so it seemed, emerging silently as if from the date palms and pools of water itself. They did not have strength of numbers, but they struck hard and fast. My men claimed that the raiders were as strong as ogres and seemed to glow from underneath their abas (robes), and we sustained many losses before we routed them. Thereupon, they fled into the desert twilight in every which direction, their tracks swallowed by the wind." Suelasta the Magnificent reported dealing with House Asad (Children of the Lion), specifically with Sheikh Najib's son Nabil, and after leaving Jamal Oasis his caravan was attacked by the raiders. The raiders stole a pack of leucrotta, several cages of cockatrices, and a wagon enchanted with darkness holding a young roper. Salahuddin was aware that a mage might find uses for cockatrice feathers and roper "glue". Not sure if you've shared all these clues in-character, however.[/SECTION]