Post by David on Jun 2, 2015 15:19:35 GMT -5
A collection of neophyte heroes move through Muluk, the City of Kings. They visit the suq, purchasing padded armor and looking at various wares. Then, the various individuals gravitate to the Plaza of the Ancients, where the well-respected and powerful kahin, Omar of the Bright Eyes, gives a sermon against the history taught by the Caliph of the city -- specifically that the founding of In'aash (future Muluk) by Amakin Ibn Issad and his revolution against his brother Azaltin may not have been as noble as earlier thought. The Caliph's mamluks arrive, however, and the kahin departs. The individual heroes then make their way to a nearby coffee house where they are entertained by a storyteller recounting great heroic tales of old...
A bit of time passes and a woman dressed all in white rushes into the coffee house. With her a two beautiful young boys in regal attire and following them is a sha'ir in black with a half dozen minions bearing white leather armor and matching hijabs. The woman begs for help and protection from "this evil man!" particularly to protect "these innocent boys!" An old woman, Nirrana, steps up first and shields the woman in white, Leila. Both women clearly hail from Utaqa, City of Freedom. The sha'ir, Daghreb, is non-plused and instructs his men to "take her and remove anything in your way" while he sends his fire gen, Samir, to fetch "that spell of binding I do love." Li, a mighty-built warrior of Shou Lung steps up and wounds one of the lacks while the old woman, Nirrana, unleashes a blast of fire, dropping three of the assailants. Combat is joined and the heroes do well. Samirah helps guard the woman and boys while her mother, Tasnim, holds her healing spells. Tiberius, the boy accompanying the old woman manages to screw up his courage and join in the fray as well. They whittle away all of Daghreb's allies, though the sha'ir calls for more. He then unleashes a sepia snake sigil at Leila, binding her. He calls Samir for a death spell after using a scroll of invoke mirror images. This spell and more minions keep the heroes busy until Samir's return. At this point, the two young boys rush forward and grant Tiberius' earlier wish, "to have an adventure, half a world away."
The two princely boys turn blue and reveal their true nature as noble djinni. Locking arms on either side of Tiberius, they form a whirlwind, sucking up the heroes as well as the fallen and transporting them somewhere else. The heroes, dazed and overwhelmed by the force of the whirlwind, regain consciousness sometime later in a rocky canyon. They dimly recall the two djinni saying, "better to be banished from the world of humans for a year and a day, than being trapped in one of Daghreb's genie prisons!" They then add, "but please, if you can rescue our governess, Leila, it would mean the world to us." When the two young genies said this is unclear, for it is many hours before the heroes regain consciousness. They spend the night in the canyon.
The next morning, the group heads down the canyon, encountering a number of unrecognizable bodies. Continuing on, the party meets a pack of hyenadons -- a mated pair and their three cubs. The heroes take out the male and a cub, but the female proves resilient. First Samirah and then Tasnim fall, followed by young Tiberius. Li fights on but the mother hyendon drops him after another of her cubs falls. Nirrana leads the mother hyendon away using magic, then guards the fallen until Tasnim regains consciousness and heals herself. The four survivors move on, after Li bleeds out from his wounds.
The following morning, the wounded hyenadon and her cub return, but this time the heroes handily take her out and send her cub fleeing. One of Tasnim's healing spells must be used to create water.
One more day and the cub returns with six gnolls in tow. Nirrana's sleep spell takes out all the humanoids, leaving Samirah and Tiberius to slay the beast. The heroes salvage a bit more gear. That evening, they encounter three large (two foot long!) scorpions. They manage to take then out, but the old woman is stung and miraculously survives (yea, seriously!).
With the new day, the heroes finally make it out of the canyons. They continue on toward a thin thread of smoke in the distance, surrounded by palm trees. Not an oasis, but an artificial grove surrounding a primitive encampment, the Land of the Lost. They heroes learn that the have come to a place of lost souls, trapped by a man-eating roc, a ornery dragon-turtle, and a number of lacedons. They are not alone, but part of a huge menagerie of other beings, including a wise and anicent elf, centaur, minotaur, a thri-kree, and some wemic, etc.
Over the next few days, the hakima, Tasnim, manages to learn that there is a sha'ir who will use her magics to liberate those trapped here, but at the cost of their weight in gold. One sailor, Captain Rogoso, does suggest another way. The sha'ir has a magical sack, the Bag of Four Winds, and with that power in his sails, Rogoso firmly believes he can escape in his small ship...
Next move?
A bit of time passes and a woman dressed all in white rushes into the coffee house. With her a two beautiful young boys in regal attire and following them is a sha'ir in black with a half dozen minions bearing white leather armor and matching hijabs. The woman begs for help and protection from "this evil man!" particularly to protect "these innocent boys!" An old woman, Nirrana, steps up first and shields the woman in white, Leila. Both women clearly hail from Utaqa, City of Freedom. The sha'ir, Daghreb, is non-plused and instructs his men to "take her and remove anything in your way" while he sends his fire gen, Samir, to fetch "that spell of binding I do love." Li, a mighty-built warrior of Shou Lung steps up and wounds one of the lacks while the old woman, Nirrana, unleashes a blast of fire, dropping three of the assailants. Combat is joined and the heroes do well. Samirah helps guard the woman and boys while her mother, Tasnim, holds her healing spells. Tiberius, the boy accompanying the old woman manages to screw up his courage and join in the fray as well. They whittle away all of Daghreb's allies, though the sha'ir calls for more. He then unleashes a sepia snake sigil at Leila, binding her. He calls Samir for a death spell after using a scroll of invoke mirror images. This spell and more minions keep the heroes busy until Samir's return. At this point, the two young boys rush forward and grant Tiberius' earlier wish, "to have an adventure, half a world away."
The two princely boys turn blue and reveal their true nature as noble djinni. Locking arms on either side of Tiberius, they form a whirlwind, sucking up the heroes as well as the fallen and transporting them somewhere else. The heroes, dazed and overwhelmed by the force of the whirlwind, regain consciousness sometime later in a rocky canyon. They dimly recall the two djinni saying, "better to be banished from the world of humans for a year and a day, than being trapped in one of Daghreb's genie prisons!" They then add, "but please, if you can rescue our governess, Leila, it would mean the world to us." When the two young genies said this is unclear, for it is many hours before the heroes regain consciousness. They spend the night in the canyon.
The next morning, the group heads down the canyon, encountering a number of unrecognizable bodies. Continuing on, the party meets a pack of hyenadons -- a mated pair and their three cubs. The heroes take out the male and a cub, but the female proves resilient. First Samirah and then Tasnim fall, followed by young Tiberius. Li fights on but the mother hyendon drops him after another of her cubs falls. Nirrana leads the mother hyendon away using magic, then guards the fallen until Tasnim regains consciousness and heals herself. The four survivors move on, after Li bleeds out from his wounds.
The following morning, the wounded hyenadon and her cub return, but this time the heroes handily take her out and send her cub fleeing. One of Tasnim's healing spells must be used to create water.
One more day and the cub returns with six gnolls in tow. Nirrana's sleep spell takes out all the humanoids, leaving Samirah and Tiberius to slay the beast. The heroes salvage a bit more gear. That evening, they encounter three large (two foot long!) scorpions. They manage to take then out, but the old woman is stung and miraculously survives (yea, seriously!).
With the new day, the heroes finally make it out of the canyons. They continue on toward a thin thread of smoke in the distance, surrounded by palm trees. Not an oasis, but an artificial grove surrounding a primitive encampment, the Land of the Lost. They heroes learn that the have come to a place of lost souls, trapped by a man-eating roc, a ornery dragon-turtle, and a number of lacedons. They are not alone, but part of a huge menagerie of other beings, including a wise and anicent elf, centaur, minotaur, a thri-kree, and some wemic, etc.
Over the next few days, the hakima, Tasnim, manages to learn that there is a sha'ir who will use her magics to liberate those trapped here, but at the cost of their weight in gold. One sailor, Captain Rogoso, does suggest another way. The sha'ir has a magical sack, the Bag of Four Winds, and with that power in his sails, Rogoso firmly believes he can escape in his small ship...
Next move?
