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

[tglassy]

While everyone else is behind making plots and talking about things Harun knows little about, Harun looks at Husam.

"Husam, my friend, help me with something. There's this girl in the market I see who sells apples. She is very beautiful. I've seen you buying her apples. Do you know anything about her?"

Harun's grin is one of slight amusement, as he knows full well that Husam has had his eye on the girl. But until now, the stiff half-orc hasn't said a word to her! Time to light a fire under him, Harun thinks.

 

[Ancalagon]

Lal helps set up the camp - he has traveled with many a caravan, and knows the basics; although he pays attention to how the nomads do it - he knew that the desert people could be particular about certain details.

OOC: Did Lal discover why the camel he's riding is called Sweet?

As the nomads start cooking the chicken, Lal tells another story.

"Back in my homeland, the far away Purple Lands, there are many wonders... but we do not have camels, which is a great tragedy. So all sort of beast of burden are used instead. And one of those is the giant crayfish, found only in the north.

Now the giant crayfish is sort of like a giant scorpion without a stinger, and its sole use is for war, for they are fierce combatants, with great pincers and armor, but they are very stupid.

One day a Noble Slugman - because we have slugmen in the Purple lands - decided that he would acquire an army of these crayfish and use it to defeat his enemies in the South. This slugman had tons of silver at his disposal - for slugmen are very rich - and with his fortune he made it so. So he stood astride the largest crayfish, and behind him was his entire army, with a fearsome line of giant crayfishes, and his enemies quivered in terror. They had soldiers too, but they were all on foot, and their weapons would not pierce the crayfish's armor.

As the slugman opened his mouth to demand that his foes surrender, he sneezed. It sounded like the blast of a great horn - for slugmen have very large lungs - and his crayfish took fright at the unnatural noise and threw him off. And the panic spread among the giant crayfishes and they turned around and trampled the slugman's army, and fled back north.

This is why you should make sure that your war mount is at least half as smart as you. And as I am a very wise man, I usually have to fight on foot."

Second story telling attempt with the nomads : 1D20+3 = [15]+3 = 18


A while later, Lal will change position and go sit besides Derafsh with half a chicken and a bit of wine. He looks at him with an inquiring look. "Why sit alone on such a beautiful night?"

 

[Shayuri]

Amina attends to Akilah as needed, but when given leave she seeks out Ajan. On finding him she bows her head in deepest respect and says in her quiet voice, "I beg forgiveness for my intrusion, but may I ask a private question before you make ready to sleep?"

Assuming he humors her, she walks with him a little ways from the firelight.

"Your people live free of walls and cities. A good life, I hope." She meets his gaze over the top of her veil. "I know others who live similar lives and through them I hear tales sometimes. These dark tales of black-clad bandits concern me. Other tales too. I wonder if a man such as you has heard the name Solina al-Ganii?"

 

[Matthan]

Husam tries to hide his surprise at Harun's questions and fails miserably as his cheeks begin to flush. "Uh... well...," he stutters before getting a wistful look in his eyes, "She is a very kind woman. She never makes a show of it, but everyday, shortly before noon, a few urchins come to her stand and she always gives them a few apples to see them on their way. I have seen merchants swindle and cheat travelers to line their pockets with a few coins. She never does. She has a good heart."

He catches himself slightly and his blush spreads to his ears as he begins talking far to quickly in a futile attempt to distract, "And her apples are delicious. Finest in the market. Lovely for lunch and they bake up quite nice for a treat. A fine citizen and businesswoman."

 

[Quickleaf]

A while later, Lal will change position and go sit besides Derafsh with half a chicken and a bit of wine. He looks at him with an inquiring look. "Why sit alone on such a beautiful night?"

[SECTION]The nomads' laughter resounds across the hilltop, echoing off rocks whose shadows dance in the fire light. They are quick to give Lal Qalandar the nickname "very wise man" after hearing the moral of his tale. The nomads spoon several soaked golden raisins onto the bearded dervish's plate as he ambles over toward the fire.

Derafsh glances over at Lal for a moment before resuming looking at the fire, a plate of well-gnawed chicken bones at his feet where he squats upon a rock. Pushing a sparking log back into position, he glances over at the nomads and at the other rogues before speaking in a hushed voice, "Thirty years ago, not long by the standard tribal memories, the Haras al-Sirri and these men of House Bakr were enemies. Or if not these same men, then their fathers. On one side of me is the risk of a being tied to a camel and sent off into the desert if happen to recognize my face or decide to avenge himself for the sake of his people." Nodding to the rogues, where his elder brother Nimar al-Solak keeps one eye on Derafsh. "And at the other side of me my brother, whose allegiance to the deposed Sultan of Tajar runs deep even after his betrayal of us, perhaps deep enough to place a knife in my back should I not fall in line."

As he explains his dilemma, Derafsh looks up in surprise as Lal Qalandar's camel has quietly come up behind him and begun licking raisins off his plate. Loud laughter comes from the nomads on the other side of camp, who give cries of "Sweet! Very wise man!" With a wry smile, Derafsh sets down the stick he was tending fire with, "My position is unenviable. What would you advise, oh traveler and teller-of-tales?"[/SECTION]

Amina attends to Akilah as needed, but when given leave she seeks out Ajan. On finding him she bows her head in deepest respect and says in her quiet voice, "I beg forgiveness for my intrusion, but may I ask a private question before you make ready to sleep?"

Assuming he humors her, she walks with him a little ways from the firelight.

"Your people live free of walls and cities. A good life, I hope." She meets his gaze over the top of her veil. "I know others who live similar lives and through them I hear tales sometimes. These dark tales of black-clad bandits concern me. Other tales too. I wonder if a man such as you has heard the name Solina al-Ganii?"

[SECTION]Ajan bin Najon al-Yaqud is surprised to find Amina requesting to speak, sitting upright on the rock from the book of prayers he studies. "Handmaiden of Hakiyah, please," he gestures to some rocks that provide a pristine view of the crystalline clear desert moonlight and faint clouds moving across distant moonlit dunes. "I'm surprised you wished to speak to me without my cousin. I had begun to assume she has two shadows," Ajan observes with dry humor.

"Al-Ganii? Hmm, no. Perhaps you mean Al-Ganij? It is an Akotan name," he gestures to the far west. "We sometimes trade with the men and burnt-skinned elves of Akota. I believe Al-Ganij is a district in their great slave city." For a moment Ajan falls quiet, seemingly at ease beneath the stars of his nativity. "What is your interest in this woman that you did not ask me in the presence of your lady?"[/SECTION]

 

[Shayuri]

Amina smiles, though the veil hides all but the crinkles at the edges of her eyes.

"I am here but still at her side, for I inquire after the thing that drives us into the desert. The name belongs to one who may be connected to these black robes. Out in the desert, finding support...maybe recruits...among the tribesmen."

 

[Quickleaf]

Amina smiles, though the veil hides all but the crinkles at the edges of her eyes.

"I am here but still at her side, for I inquire after the thing that drives us into the desert. The name belongs to one who may be connected to these black robes. Out in the desert, finding support...maybe recruits...among the tribesmen."

[SECTION]For clerics devoted to truth, Ajan finds the handmaiden as infuriatingly circuitous as his cousin Akilah. "Hah, you clearly have studied at the foot of the same imam as the Vizier!"

"There are only two tribes in the High Desert which recruit from outsiders... One is unenlightened; they are raiders known as the House of Tayif, having struck near Qudra to the north and the Realm of Bleeding Trees to the south. They wear white and take the veil, swearing a crusade against the Grand Caliph, and for this earn the sobriquet "Ghost Warriors."

"The other is enlightened, but in name only; they are scavengers and horse-thieves known as the House of Uqad, or League of the Vulture. They recruit from among matruds (exiles), bandits, savages, and mountain tribes. Some of these scavengers are recently led by a woman who commands the desert sun, so the tales go."[/SECTION]

 

[Shayuri]

Amina purses her lips behind her veil. Commanding the desert sun could easily refer to fire magic.

"Where does the House of Uqad hold court?" she inquires softly.

 

[Quickleaf]

[SECTION]For a moment, Ajan has a sorrowful look in his mismatched eyes. Had Akilah been raised among House Bakr beneath the desert skies, or even among her elven kin, she would have known the answer to her handmaiden's question. "My house is the smallest of those that will attend the Gathering of the Seven Great Tribes this year at the Desert Mosque. But there are two tribes who are not welcome there: the Ghost Warriors and the House of Uqad. Many a ruler would like to know where these raiders 'hold court', but they are like the winds, rarely staying in the same place for long."

He ponders withholding what he next knows, but concludes rightfully that eventually his cousin would have the truth out. "There is a legend I've heard...more fiction than truth...that one can divine the way to the House of Uqad by following the patterns of great vultures taking flight. The same legend says that a white camel will be born among the herds of my house with the power to remove scales from the eyes of the aged and restore mobility to the maimed." He pours a cup of licorice and mint tea for himself and for Amina. "We celebrate the birth of white camels, but the only thing they seem to cure is a bit of sunburn with their dung or a hangover with their piss."

"Pardon my frankness," he bows in apology, "I forget I'm in the presence of the devout." He looks up, evaluating Amina with his mismatched eyes.[/SECTION]

GM: Ajan is suspicious about Amina's inquiry. Make a DC 13 Deception check to keep him in the dark.

 

[VLAD the Destroyer]

The day's journey was peaceful for Salahuddin. He listened to the wind as it blew across the desert. The rocking of the camel soothed him and he smiled to himself. He was pointed in the proper direction and his masters will would be done by his mortal hand. He remained quiet today just listening to the conversations around him. Ajan's men kept their distance awed by the Sha'ir and his Genie servant.

When Ajan called for the group to stop and make camp Salahuddin dismounted and rubbed his back. He was not accustomed to riding for so long. He knew he would be sore in the morning. Sinjin helped his master from the saddle and conjured water for him to drink. Salahuddin smiled at his friend. Sinjin moved off to help make camp and Salahuddin sat to the side. When Easifa spoke to him he smiled.

My gen prepare to show yourself and allow my voice to speak through you. I must converse with the Sheikh.

Salahuddin settles down and prepares to place his mind and senses into his familiar. He turns to Akilah.

"Easifa is with with the Sheikh. I will speak with him now. I will relay his answers to you."

Salahuddin then places his will over his Gen. His eyes cloud over and he saw the Sheiks private quarters. The Sheikh sitting in a chair staring at Easifa as he floated in the middle of the room. Easifa speaks but Salahuddin's voice comes from the small djinn's mouth.

"Sheikh Ali, blessed by rain and wind, I apologize for summoning you but we have word that you must hear."

Easifa bows to the Sheikh and waits for indication to continue. Once given Salahuddin continues.

"It has come to our attention that your nephew, Ajan, had sent a request for troops to assist in taking on the black robed raiders. He states that one of his tribesman made the request to one of your confidantes, a woman. Did this message ever reach your ear?"

Salahuddin waits for an answer and then continues.

"We do not believe you are in immediate danger but be vigilant. This whole problem runs deeper than we think and someone close to you is involved."