D&D 5E (2014) Al-Qadim Moving Through the Flame

[VLAD the Destroyer]

Salahuddin nods to the Mamluk. Letting the Hakima go alone did not site well with the Sha'ir but he had to trust in her abilities. Having Easifa there would allay some of his fear. He reached out to his Gen.

Easifa I will be unable to join you. Please watch for my friends and inform me if trouble arises.

With his instructions sent he turns his attention back to the others.

"Very well my Gen will watch for trouble. Let us hope they do not encounter any."

He watches Najiyah as she stumbles over a response to Kaniel's question. It seemed as if the reaction was involuntary. It was as if she had been touched by the Janni. He would need to speak to Sinjin to see if his hunch was correct. Salahuddin then thought on the question to him. Secrecy was second nature when living among the Djinni. Plus most mortals had a mix of fear and awe when confronted with Salahuddin's powers and his Gen. Keeping Easifa hidden had become second nature to Salahuddin.

"I apologize if I caused alarm and offense. Easifa is my Gen. He serves me as my familiar. I have learned to keep him hidden because of the reactions most have to him. Though anger is not one I have encountered before. Usually it is fear or awe."

 

[Thateous]

"It's simple really. You have intimate knowledge of the desert. We require a guide. You want a map to a treasure in hopes of freeing your family from the shadows. I happen to have a map to treasure and also wish to see your family freed of the burdens of their past transgressions." Akilah's tone is firm and her mannerisms practiced from her many years negotiating with delegates in the Palace.

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[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]"The burdens of our transgressions?" Nimar arches a brow, looking at Derafsh with incredulous spite, then his dour expression molds into a toothy smile. "I see. You intend to invoke your father's goodwill? Advise him to grant my family a pardon? Yes, I know you for the Sheikh's daughter, vizier. I know the tribe of your mother, Sheera bint-Tamar, as well. I see much that happens between the desert and the gates," he brags, walking slowly in a half circle before turning back to face Akilah abruptly. "If it is a guide you seek, oh vizier, step into my court..." Twirling his arm in mockery of a bow, Nimar looks up from his smirking brows at her. The six men behind Nimar ease back to let Akilah and Derafsh pass, and Nimar sheathes his scimitar.

"Do you play chess, vizier? You must, for I have seen the grand chessboards in the palace, with its scented perfumes and date trees," Nimar asks, his voice bending into a wistful snarl. Moving over to the edge of the well, a perilous drop easily over 50 feet down, he sits on the edge, adjusting his scabbard to be more comfortable. Nimar unfolds a cheap chessboard, pouring out rusted copper and chipped ivory pieces, before gesturing for Akilah to join him with a saccharine smile. "More palm wine for my guest," he snarls at one of his men, who rushes indoors where the sounds of drinking and revelry echo. "Sit, vizier, and I will tell you what you do not know about the map you carry..."

"Jabir bin Hayyan was the Sultan's foremost moneylender. After the Sultan's fall, may Fate look upon him in his prison monastery, many treasures from the palace went unaccounted for. Now, everyone knew that the gold-fingered Jabir had secreted away much of the Sultan's wealth, but what no one knew was where. Until," he pauses for dramatic effect, resuming his story as he begins setting up the copper pieces, "the reading of Jabir's will. Choked on coffee mixed with gold. An expensive habit that cost him his life." Nimar grins darkly, finishing setting up his back pieces and begins setting up his pawns. "Jabir had stashed the Sultan's treasure in his very own tomb, where he was buried without even the knowledge of his two sons Anwar and Kalib, who are just as greedy as their father only far more in debt..." When Nimar enunciates the word 'debt', finishing setting up his pawns, it's apparent to Akilah that Jalib's sons are in debt to Nimar. (thanks to passive Insight 19!)

"The location of Jabir's tomb was kept secret by the priests of Jauhar the Gemmed, for it had been decades in construction relying on blindfolded labor. Jabir's greed eclipsed him even in death. However, one of the engineers, a wizard's apprentice, inscribed a map to the tomb from memory and wrote it within his spellbook to avoid suspicion..."
[/SECTION]

[SBLOCK=Amina]'Between the desert and the gates' could very well be Thieves' Cant meaning Nimar has sent out a messenger or a runner from the city just recently.

There is an awning over the well which mostly obstructs Amina's line of sight to anyone seated next to it. All she can see of Nimar are his legs now and an occasional hand gesture or glint of his face if he's particularly animated. Derafsh, who stands a bit away from his brother, however, is still visible, glancing around the rooftops for signs of Amina but not seeing her.[/SBLOCK]

 

[Thateous]

"Oh my, an even more detailed account of the importance of the map." Akilah muses. "So is it as your brother says? Will you offer the treasure to the Sheikh?" Akilah plays chess throughout the conversation, making cautious moves before suddenly switching to an aggressive risky playstyle.

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[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]"If that's what my little brother says, then it must be so," answers Nimar diplomatically, giving ground to Akilah's aggressive advance, sacrificing pawns for position. The light here is dimmer than in the rest of the city, as the Sheikh's munificence has not yet reached all the neighborhoods damaged by the Sultan's tyrannies; thus, only two lanterns hang outside the house of ill repute, the rest of their lighting coming from the moon.

"Now, what share of the treasure will you use to pay us as your trusted guides? Of the portion not going to the Sheikh's coffers. Certainly you were about to tell me, vizier," the cagey rogue grins, the pale shadows of a second mouth moving on the back of his head cast on the stone pillar behind him.[/SECTION]

 

[Thateous]

"And what portion of the treasure would have been tucked away in the many folds of your aba? Also how much of the treasure would it take to even out Anwar and Kalib's debt to you?" she says while working her knights around the board, her favorite pieces, an abnormal strategy no doubt.

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[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]"My aba," says Nimar, his confident smile faltering as he watches Akilah's vexing strategy unfold, "is fully of holes, oh vizier." He shows surprising knowledge of chess, blocking one of her knights with a combination of his bishops and pawns. A stop gap measure. "What wasn't taken by angry mobs, the vizier must mean?" He stares at the board ruefully, gaze going to his brother as his man returns with a bottle of palm wine and two earthen cups.

Uncorking the bottle with his teeth, Nimar makes no attempt to hide his low immoral upbringing from Akilah, pouring a small glass for each of them. "Anwar is strong and handsome, and he has the common sense and temper of a goat; his debt to me is 3,600 dinari (gp). Kalib is barely out of adolescence, a stutterer who thinks too highly of himself; his debt to me is just 1,900 dinari (gp). Together they owe 5,500 dinari."[/SECTION]

 

[Thateous]

"So tell me Nimar. What is your plan if the treasure was completely taken by angry mobs or worse, simply not exisit at all? What then for your family?" Akilah raises the cup to her lips but then pauses before placing it back down and moving her bishop. She's clearly positioning for a protrcted check on the King.

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[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]Nimar's strategy is more opaque, as he seems to be using his remaining pawns for both defense and board control, while his bishops limit Akilah's options. His queen, however, remains unmoved in reserve. "We've survived by other means before, vizier, and we would again. These raids may have stopped some of the incoming caravans, but there are still fat merchants in Tajar with a surplus of coin and surfeit of sense looking to exploit the situation." It's clear to Akilah he's giving her a partial answer to avoid saying anything incriminating.

Scowling in Derafsh's direction, Nimar continues in a quieter voice, "And if the treasure is real, and as overflowing as I claim, what will you do, vizier? Distribute it as alms? Give it to you father's treasury?"[/SECTION]

GM: You're approaching the endgame of your chess match [MENTION=6814006]Thateous[/MENTION] make an ability check with a corresponding proficiency of your choice that you feel reflects Akilah's strategy.

 

[Thateous]

"It is of no concern to me what happens to the treasure. Whether it is real or not, is returned to the Sheikh, or vanishes like a loose veil in a sandstorm. However I will say that if your family were to assist us on our trek into the desert to investigate these raids that I will do whatever it takes to ensure you will at least have a choice as to whether you operate in the shadows vs being forced to." Akilah speaks earnestly and is clearly interested in the future of this cursed family.

OOC: Chess match: 1D20+5 = [14]+5 = 19

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