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That is most troubling news, sir Bahir, to hear that Jhavhul not only lives but is trying to awaken Xotani. Who knows what terrors he will seek to do if he were able to even exercise a jot of control over that thing. He is a grave threat to your world as well as the elemental planes , especially if he desires to rule as Sultan or worse take Ymeri's side as king. The gods have placed an enormous burden upon you all. We must not only free Princess Shazathared, but must petition our masters for aid as well, or at least make ready for war. Iavesk sighs. Well, we best find this Impossible Eye and get out of here.
Around this time you hear an enormous crash outside the doors to the battlement along with the unmistakable sound of a dragon roaring.
Dragon ! Iavesk states with concern.
"I think it is safe to say nothing goes as planned when dealing with a dragon, my friend." Hazreem responds to Bahir as he flies over with the paladin and readies for the worst.
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Bahir and Hazreem fling open the doors to the battlement, not at all surprised to see the huge dragon with jet-black scales and glowing rivulets of lava between them. Its wings crossed with veins aglow with heat shine in the membranes. The dragon sits at the end of the battlement with a ferocious scowl as Argbadh stand there palms open.
Immediately upon seeing the dragon, a wave of dragonfear washes over Hazreem and Bahir. While Bahir is immune to the effects of fear, an overwhelming sense of awe still makes his blood tingle. Hazreem, not immune to fear but bathed in the Paladin's Aura of Courage is able to quickly shake off the effects of the dragonfear.
As the heroes step into the threshold of the door, Argbadh turns and speaks up, annoyed, "You were to stay put. This discussion is not of your concern."
At the same time Aberzjerax rears up and growls in broken common, "Fool mort'els. Came now this far to be eaten! Leave. Find mashter's miiiroar."
Hazreem has a hard time following the dragon's words, no doubt due to the overwhelming fear that permeates his body. Still the last part of his words did not escape him. "Bahir, the mirror! I think he is talking about the Impossible Eye! Still, I think we should let them discuss things in peace..."
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Seeing that Argbadh still has things well in hand, "Ah, my apologies Argbadh, the sounds of the mighty dragons arrival made me think you were in immediate peril and that things had not gone well. I did not mean to intrude upon your conversation. We shall return to the chamber and await your arrival." The paladin backs off and closes the door.
Efreat listens to it all with a great sense of detachment which turns to angst. "So Iavesk, you know as little as we do in getting out of here." Hearing the dragon roar, Efreat sinks back a bit but being outside of the fear radius, casts a hateful glance at the dragon before the gates shut. "Fools! If these rotten genies, so caught up in their own arrogance, would just release their stupid curse, then we could get on with stopping Jhavhul!"
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After a short minute or so, the large brass doors open back up and Argbadh comes back inside. A fresh scar is noticeable across his face and neck, as if the dragon forcibly grabbed him. "That was a very foolish thing you did; I told you I was conferring with a temperamental dragon. Luckily Aberzjerax was already under advisement to give you a chance. The Vizier's diviners know of you and what you have done already; just as they know of Jhavhul's release."
He sighs and continues, "The Vizier's judgment has been made; let me finish before interrupting carelessly. For the willful attack and slaying of members of the Vizier's stationed guard you are all sentenced to death. However, your sentence will be commuted to banishment from the City of Brass as long as the Impossible Eye can be produced in a period of no more than 5 days, earlier if his patience wears thin. During that period you will receive no unprovoked resistance from the fire giants, but they will not unnecessarily help you either ... which, I think went without saying", he adds.
"Actually, I think that in itself is pretty good news", Argbadh says lightening his tone, "assuming you can find the Impossible Eye. Unfortunately, I do have more serious news for you. Your home is under attack by Jhavhul's forces. Whether that has been presented as truth or merely additional motivation, I do not know. It seems, though, that now your situation is much like my own."
"Is there anything else you would like to ask of me?"
Hazreem grunts in acknowledgement. "About pretty much what I expected here." He turns to the others. "I suggest we return to Shazathared and rest up again. We will need to be at full strength to search for the Eye. Plus she may know more of it."
He turns to face Argbadh. Yeah, we won't waste any more of your time here. Is there anything else you can tell us of the Impossible Eye, like where is was last located? Also anything else you know of the Palace's layout?"
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"You are truly not wasting my time, Hazreem. In fact, for the first time in centuries I have hope again to one day be free. We have never sought out the Impossible Eye as my command was to keep watch over the gatehouses and deal with looters."
"Truth be told, I don't think the Vizier knows where it is or he'd have sent in forces to retrieve it himself. I can only imagine he doesn't want to continue risking his guard to be stuck here eternally until he knows that it can be found. I have also long suspected that some of our occasional looters have been sent here to retrieve it as some sort of test or game for the Vizier or Sultan's pleasure. Efreet, especially powerful ones, are curious creatures to say the least. Hah, I am actually a little surprised you have not received some sort of counter-offer from someone representing the Sultan. The two have been involved in the most overt "covert" power struggle that I could ever think of."
"Ahh, I nearly forgot our djinni friend who seems to be sane again. Who are you and why are you here?", Argbadh asks Iavesk.
Iavesk relates his tale. Argbadh ponders what he has heard for a moment and turns to Bahir, "I will trust him to your care, though he faces the same judgment as you. Though the Vizier would want to see him tortured eternally for his actions, he does improve your chances of find the Eye. At least, that is my judgment and how I hope the Vizier sees it."
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He then turns to Hazreem, "I know very much of the palace's layout. What would you like to know?"
Hazreem notices the wince but pays it little mind. "Yeah if you can tell us which areas of the Palace are controlled by which factions and also if you know of any hidden ways to get around the Palace, it will make our search much easier." He turns to look at the others. "Do you have any other suggestions?"
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"As for who controls what holdings, here is what I know. The Palace area at both the roof level and court levels are occupied by the combined forces of the former Imam, Shabendeh, and the former Eunuch, Qilzar, and we have affectionately called them the Keepers of the Haunted Palace due to their undead nature. You have found already the former holdings of the salamanders of the Flickering Candle, their name not ours, and destroyed them . I've told you already about the Fire Cult lizardfolk ; do with them as you see fit, but if you do wander in there I would ask that if possible you try and bring the pyrohyrda back. I was hoping to use him as Embertongues' mate. We control the courtyard, mostly, these areas above the gates, and roofwalk up to the entry to the palace areas, at least for the most part . Conflict with the other factions does happen, but they are all former inhabitants of Bayt Al-Bazan and so I haven't bothered with them as they all help keep looters out and generally there is little threat of all out conflict among us. I have no idea if the tombs are controlled, nor do I care. If they were, it is probably by the dead. From what you have relayed, it seems as though the treasuries are empty and uncontrolled as well. Though, the azer raiders you happened upon concerns me and I think a giant should be sent down there too."
The giant continues, "I spent no time here prior to being forced to guard this accursed place. I know of no secret passages to speak of. It would seem like the Efreet would had to have had a better way to get to the treasury than the waste chute you mentioned, but I haven't seen such a thing."
"As for the areas controlled by the Keepers, you basically have three options I know of: enter through the doors to the throne room from the courtyard, enter through the doors to the dining hall from the roofwalk, or fly/climb up to the spire level above the palace. There should be an entrance to the palace area as well as the grand spire. Inside the palace you will find the throne room, harem halls, mosque, pleasure gardens, and grand dining halls."
"You mentioned searching Ymeri's pyraimd previously. You should run into no trouble there unless some of the ghuls or the Imam is on the roof and decides to attack. There should be a fire giant patrol back up there now though to prevent outsiders from coming down onto the roof. The pyramid is not that exciting, just steps leading up to a small room with some ancient carvings.
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Argbadh responds to Bahir's first question, "Hmm, I would doubt that there are any prisoners being held by other factions. Of course, every being currently here are prisoners," he says with a smile. "The lizardfolk and salamanders would have likely made a meal of them, and they would be undead or destroyed if the Keepers had them. I am quite surprised that Iavesk was kept a prisoner ever since the curse was brought down upon this place. It is hard to imagine the salamanders would have kept him around that long; they must have had some reason for doing so. Perhaps they wished to find favor once new Efreet masters came back to Bayt Al-Bazan."
"Now, are there others here that we are not aware of? I think so. The door to the library is locked with some kind of powerful magic. It was not so just a few months ago. I also don't know how many Efreet came back with Vezzaresh. We think it is only Vezzaresh and and the other, who are both dead, but there is evidence of an active intruder, possibly whoever is behind the library door. Furthermore, the elf assassin you killed was stole an expensive diamond from an Efreet pasha, and I imagine others have been forced to come in here to try and retrieve it. In fact, I was to bring his living body to the courtyard so the offended pasha could witness his execution. Bah, stupid Efreet."
At Bahir's second question Argbadh walks to his desk, sits, and thinks for a minute before responding, "As for your second question, Bahir, I can say with confidence that the Sultan and Vizier care nothing about the destruction of your home or whether Xotani could be awakened to destroy your whole world or any other world in the material plane. They have reigned over the largest, most opulent city in all of the elemental planes for many thousands of years, and they only seek to continue to continue their dominance here. Even now, they aid in Ymeri's war over my home region where the borders of the Plane of Fire and Plane of Earth are thin. War and violence are things Efreet lust after, along with the spoils of course. This isn't the wealthiest city on the planes by accident."
"As for how they see Jhavhul," he continues, "that is surely a complicated issue. Someone closer to them, maybe Aberzjerax would know better than I. Perhaps some clues could be found here in the library, or from the Imam or Quilzar, if they would speak to you. Though, my former service to the royal guard of the Vizier does afford me some insight."
"On one hand, Jhavhul is a prince of the once formidable Al-Bazan family. I was not here when the Al-Bazan family was at the height of their power, but I can say that Bayt Al-Bazan is one of the more grand of the noble estates I have been inside. The destruction Jhavhul is causing is legendary, and should Jhavhul act like a prince should, then the shared spoils he would bring back would be an incredible boon to the royal court."
"On the other hand, Jhavhul and his brother have brought shame upon the Al-Bazan family and worse the Vizier and Sultan themselves. Jhavhul having incensed the Sultan with his pursuit of Ymeri, and Al-hassen having incensed the Vizier with the theft of the Impossible Eye. I am sure the Vizier could not be more pleased to rid the family of all heirs and auction off this estate. Jhavhul's sudden resurgence, especially with how close he is to actually awakening the Firebleeder, must concern them, even if they would not care to admit it."
"You see, Jhavhul was exiled due to his uncontrollable infatuation with Ymeri, Queen of the Inferno. He broke rules not to be broken with his abuse of Wishcraft magic to aid his courtship of Ymeri. Even then when he finally gained audience with Ymeri, she rebuffed him without a second thought. He was a simple, frail genie with no army or anything to offer her. Infruriated, he attacked everything in sight and shortly after went into half self-imposed, half forced exile to your world. Jhavhul's ultimate plans surely still rest with winning Ymeri's affection. Bringing home the fire Spawn of Rovagug, if it could be brought here, along with armies of wishcraft enhanced soldiers would certainly go a long way. I cannot imagine that either of them care for Jhavhul being control of a destruction machine like Xotani as the city and their rule would be in jeopardy. Even if he could not control Xotani, he may still return a hero of the Efreet with a sizeable army it seems. Worse, should he impress Ymeri enough to take him as king, then the Vizier and Sultan, and all Efreet, would have to bow to him. Frankly, I bet it makes them a little sick to think about that."
"I can imagine that the Vizier's sudden renewed interest in the Impossible Eye is due to his desire to watch over what Jhavhul is doing." He adds with some sadness, "Should I be spared at all, I can imagine that my speculation of personal matters of the Vizier will bring down incredibly harsh treatment, even death, but I feel like it is a tale you have earned the right to hear. It would not be my first infraction against the Vizier, hah!"
"Ymeri, eh?" Hazreem is silent for a moment as he digests the information. "Perhaps we need to see who...or what is lurking in the Library." He says slowly. Turning to face the giant he aska, "Could you tell us how to reach the Library Argbadh?"
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Bahir nods gravely as Argbadh relates his wisdom before responding, "You seemed to suggest earlier that you servitude to the powers here was long passed the amount of time you had agreed to. Perhaps you might consider joining our cause. After all, it sounds as if Jhavhul is raising an army and your skills as a general would be invaluable if there is to be a war." Bahir holds up a hand forestalling an immediate response, "No, there is much left for us to do here and you have time to consider our offer. Whatever you decide, just know that you have earned our respect this day and we shall keep you appraised of what we manage to discover. We shall free you as well as everyone else from this prison!"
He turns to the djinni, "Iavesk, you have had little time to recover, do you wish to lend your arm to our cause and explore this place with us or shall we take you to Shazathared?"
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Argbadh nods. "I am afraid that if I left my command, they would send in something worse than me to take over. Also, who knows how the fire giants would respond. I can best help you now where I am. I can offer you this, however. We recovered it from an intruder some time ago. Due to the size of the equipment, it is of little use to us." Argbadh walks over to a chest, retrieves a bag, and hands it to Bahir. "Also, the gear is obviously magical and we have no way to discern its properties."
"I cannot say what I will do if your time is up, so please make haste. When you unravel this puzzle, and assuming the curse drops, this place may get chaotic. Seek me out then if you can. Here take this seal." Argbadh hands you a seal from his desk. "Should you need a focus to summon me, I will answer the call."
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Iavesk responds to Bahir, "I'd like to see the princess as soon as possible. I can understand if you need to make a few stops, though."
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Argbadh escorts you out past Embertongues and to the set of doors that exit out onto the main roofwalk. "I don't suspect you will have any trouble at the pyramid at least. Hopefully whatever you find there can help solve the puzzle of the Impossible Eye," Argbadh says as he motions for you to continue. "The fire giants should not bother you, especially after seeing you fight, but even so I would caution you to give them a wide birth. Farewell for now. I should be in my chambers if you need anything else."
On the roof level, you can clearly see the magnificence of the famed City of Brass. Brazen spires of hundreds of palaces dot the city-scape while streets of gleaming brass bustle with activity. Lava flows freely alongside much of the path throughout the city, and yet it is unnaturally almost-comfortable all around. Flying airships, dragons, elemental creatures, and more zip about through the airspace, and yet all moving about on land or air clearly give Bayt Al-Bazan a wide birth. No doubt few want to learn the hard way where the imprisoning curse begins.
Right in front of you on the roof level stands an enormous pyramid, hundreds of feet taller than the roof level. Intricate carvings and murals adorn the sides in various places, all depicting scenes of the Plane of Fire, various battles, and Ymeri as conqueror of the Fire Plane. As you make your way around, you see the stairway leading up to the top of the pyramid. Each step is massive, likely some 6 feet tall. The climb alone will likely take some time.
Opposite of the great pyramid you can see the palace level's top entrance and behind that a massive spire rises up the southernmost point of the castle.
You see no current sign of any of the Keepers of the Haunted palace about. A lone fire giant patrols around the roof area, a great sphere of metal in each hand and a greatsword by his side. He simply sneers at you as he walks past. Given the legendary racial hatred between the Efreet and Djinn, you know this must be somewhat uncomfortable for Iavesk.
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A quick peek in the large bag Argbadh gave you reveals the following items. They are all magical with their auras listed.
- An elegant Short Sword - mod. evocation & conjuration
- A cloak - faint abjuration -
- A suit of studded leather - moderate abjuration
- A ring - mod. transmutation
- A belt - faint transmutation
- Two rods, each with a button on the end (identical) - mod. transmutation on both
I don't think you can fail any of these spellcraft checks, but what the hay roll them anyway (once you get to a suitable place to study the items).
Knowing the others will take a lot of time climbing the massive steps Hazreem turns to Iavesk. "Please guard our rear. We don't want to be ambushed while in the middle of climbing these steps." He then flies above the party and watches out for any threats coming from the Pyramid.
Pae speaks up, Uh, Bahir, can't we just ride that magic carpet thing up? I really don't want to climb if I don't have to.
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So involved with what others were doing, the paladin stops trying to grab the firstledge, blinks, and then slaps his forehead with a laugh, "Of course we can! I forget I am carrying it sometimes." He pulls out the carpet, gestures for everyone to join him on it, and then guides it in a slow glide up the pyramid.
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Mah'ysa, Bahir, and Pae hop aboard the flying carpet and ascend up the giant stairs while Efreat, Hazreem, and Iavesk fly nearby. At the top of the stairs is a platform with a small temple that has a double peaked roof. On each corner of the platform stands 10 ft, 4-armed, female draconic centaurs, each gazing out over the city keeping eternal watch.
Pae checks the doors for traps and and does not find anything of note.
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Bahir readies his scimitar as he opens the doors to the temple area. As the doors open, the group is greeted by the smells of dust and time; clearly these doors have not been opened for some time. The inside walls are decorated with pictographs and writings in ancient Ignan that relate numerous prayers to Ymeri, Queen of Inferno.
Before Efreat studies the writings, he eagerly sets out to determine what types of items Argbadh has gifted you all with. After some careful study and discussion with Hazreem and Mah'ysa, you are sure you have the following items:
- +2 genie bane shortsword
- Cloak of resistance +2
- +2 studded leather of fire resistance (10 pts)
- Ring of improved jumping
- x2 Immovable rod
- Belt of tumbling
Very likely the previous owner was some type of "treasure hunter".
Mah'ysa, able to read Ignan and fascinated by the pictographs, wanders in to begin studying the ancient writings. She sung a pure note to call forth steady globes of Dancing Lights to see a little better. She absentmindedly petted Spooky.
When she gets a sense of what the writings are, she'll begin to translate the antique dialect for her teammates.
Once he is finished helping Efreat determine what magical properties the items gifted to them are, he turns his attention to the small temple.
"Doesn't look like she is venerated much anymore." He comments to no one in particular as he looks around.
Pae has a look around with Hazreem.
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Mah'ysa, Efreat, and Bahir set about studying the pictographs and writings on the wall. They are able to conclude that the imagery and language depicts much of the rise of Ymeri to Elemental Lord of Fire and her constant war with the elemental Plane of Earth. It would appear that one of Ymeri's chief goals is to completely subdue the Plane of Earth into fiery oceans of magma and rule both planes, something that put her followers at constant odds with earth creatures, especially the shaitan.
It is clear from other writings in Ignan, that there is a secret door within this temple that can be opened by a blood sacrifice to Ymeri, and the faithful are granted to be in the presence of Ymeri's Breath. There is no hint as to the type of blood or amount of blood to be offered.
Depiction of Ymeri - this is what the 4 statues outside the temple look like
Around the same time, Pae and Hazreem reveal what appears to be a secret door in the floor of the central portion of the temple. There is no clear mechanical way to open the door, and it radiates strong abjuration magic.
Hazreem strokes his elemental face thoughtfully. "So, I think we found where to go from here. A sacrifice of some blood, plus some holy water will unlock the way. That crystal orb must be inside, the one that supposedly will allow us to complete our quest." He gazes down at the secret door in the floor. "Still, I don't think we dare risk it without knowing for sure. Perhaps we can head to the Library now?"
Pae continues to study the portal in the floor; first checking for traps and then to attempt to bypass its protections.
"Well the good news is that I am pretty sure it isn't trapped. Since you are supposed to spill your own blood to open it, it would make sense that it isn't also trapped. The bad news is that I can't figure out a way around it. It's magical protections are quite potent. Efreat, Mah, or Hazreem perhaps stand a better chance."
Hazreem grunts in agreement. "Yeah, I MAY be able to bypass the protections but I had planned on using it to break the charm on that other pyrohydra, should we run into it. I say we get to the Library now. We need to learn more about this Ymeri's Breath...and whether it would help or hinder our cause."
Efreat steps forward and chants, "oun'ravass!"
Efreat seems impressed by the wards. He refocuses and tries to study them further.
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Efreat refocuses his efforts and studies the magical auras involved with the floor portal. It appears that the door is arcane locked and reinforced by wishcraft. There also appears to be a secondary transmutation effect that will take place if the door is opened properly. You think it should be possible for Dispel Magic or Knock to work if you are able to best focus your efforts . Furthermore, blood spilled on the floor seems to be the key to opening the door.
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Efreat shares his knowledge with the rest of the party and decides to give knock a couple of tries as he doesn't want to expend his ability to cast fireball.
Efreat's first and second attempts at bypassing the magical protections with Knock are not successful, and he grunts and shakes his head in disgust.
He resolves to give it one final try with knock for now. As he speaks "shan'ravass" and motions his hands over the secret door, a rumbling is heard and the door begins to open. As the door sinks into the floor, a circular stairway forms leading down into the heart of the pyramid.
Hazreem smiles at Efreat. "Well done my friend. I shall guard the back." He motions for Iavesk to fly next to him. "Be careful. No telling what we will find guarding this place."
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Efreat cautions the party, "Careful, we only have some much time before the knock spell wears off. There's no telling what will happen down here once the door seals again. Efreat then casts Light and motions for the group to move down.
Pae checks for traps while the rest cautiously look about while descending. On the way down you can clearly see a new source of light radiating from down the stairway. After about 50 feet down, the staircase opens to a small chamber. A pedestal holds a head-sized crystal orb within which is a seemingly raging inferno.
Efreat detects magic and studies it. There is an overwhelmingly powerful aura surrounding the orb, but due to its strength Efreat has a difficult time discerning the school of magic.