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"It is a pleasure to know your name, and to make your acquaintance Pazhvann. Truth be told, I suspect one day tales of your song will be told in my homeland. You see, where I am from, a name carries more value than a tool identification, it is the bridge of peace between being a stranger, and being a friend. You are correct in your presumption, I am a man who seeks learning, understanding, and most importantly enjoyment along the way. The desert is something I have learned about in books, heard about from first hand stories, and seen in art, but never experienced for myself until now. I am a native of Taldor, but do not let my origin fool you. I am not the Taldan who harbors and grudge or hatred for this land or her people, rather, I am fascinated by her rich culture and history. What I seek is simple, yet requires a long description, so I will try to be concise. I seek to turn around the fate of my corrupted homeland. This is quite the daunting task if you are familiar with the history of Taldor. This is why I take things one step at a time. This first step is simply to build a positive reputation for myself, and I hope to accomplish this with my companion Felliped. We are on an Archaeological mission, though I admit I cannot quite explain the details of this with as much eloquence as Felliped could, and so I would defer to him for more details. Ali is our guide on our current quest, and has proven to be worth every bit of his fee and more. His entertainment value and intimate knowledge of the region has allowed us to rest easy thus far. So no, this robe is simply an attempt at embracing the culture, but not indicative of where I come from."
Theodric is simply attempting to ensure that his guest is not offended by his intent, and gains sympathy for his cause.
Theodric's communication is on point, speaking very respectfully (in his own way), attempting to acknowledge his ignorance for the region, while being sensitive to the bitter history between the two nations. As he finishes speaking, he notices the strange sparkle in the mans eyes. This was more than a reflection, and his clothing did not seem right.
"I am right about this man, he is more than he appears to be, but I must level-headed in my approach."
"Pazhvann, I must admit to you that I am a man who looks further into everything, perhaps even to a fault. Alas, it is my profession. In spending this short time enjoying this fire and the tales of Ali and yourself, I sense that there is more to you than meets the eye. Let me clarify, I do not feel threatened by your presence nor by your kind demeanor, rather I am interested in knowing more about you. What can you share with us about where you are from, or perhaps your intention with us here tonight, as I sense the patron of travels has had a hand in our meeting this evening. Please do not feel obliged just to satiate my curiosity. You entered our presence as a welcome stranger, and you shall remain welcome at our fire regardless."
A bit frightened by his own assertion and curiosity, Felliped purposely looks the man in the eyes, emitting the most sincere of intentions he possibly could so as to not spoil the evening. The moment of silence between his speech and that of the unexpected guess seemed to last a lifetime for Theodric. A million thoughts and emotions racing through his mind and heart all at once.
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" Uh.. Um. I'm sorry, er... My lord? But I couldn't help uh.. noticing uh? " his question fades unsaid as he tries to read Pazhvann's exspression.
Oh my friends... a dream can be so easily broken, I too suspect our guest is more then a man, but it is not for us to question! We have given him salt and shade and we are blessed that he has graced us with his presence. Sighing, Ali turns and quietly corrects his companions Fellipend! This man is our guest! He has given his name, a story and a song. It is our responsibility as hosts to be gracious and polite, so that one day the favor might also be returned. Forgive me Pazhvann, they do not know the ways of the dune walkers." There are so many questions I would love to ask, but it is not my place. These outlanders do not understand. "That was an amazing song my friend, I can honestly say that I have never heard its like before. And your knowledge of the songs is to be greatly admired."
"That was one of the songs Shazathared sang for Jhavhul. The lord of al-Bazan was ever known to be cruel of heart, even among the efreet, and he found such tales... Amusing." He looks in to the fire, then glances up at Ali. "Many centuries the Keepers of the Flame walked the camel's road, and they were among the last to bear memories of things other men have forgotten."
"Yes... I thought the same as well of my clan. Most scoff, but I have always believed that there was more to the songs then just fables. There must have been a grain of truth in each! Indeed, if a desert can swallow whole city's to the sands, is it not unreasonably to believe that a Efreet Sultan could kidnap a beautiful Marid princess? Thank you for the Song friend. I shall add it to my collection. Perhaps it is foolish, but I consider it a debt of honor to my clan, that I try to recover each lost song, so that the tales of Shazathared will not be lost as so much has. You have done my people a kind service. Thank you."
With that, he launches into a instrumental piece with all the stark beauty of the desert, each note glimmering in the still night air like a gemstone, clustering together in sweeps and runs like elegant jeweled nets. The harmonies are strange and exotic to Felliped and Theodric, but remind Ali of the music of his own lost tribe. Despite being played on a simple tambur, and lacking the breathtaking complexity of the previous piece, the music seems to embody all the joy and sweetness of life, and all the pain and bitterness as well. The three men are enraptured, and find themselves closing their eyes to more fully appreciate the performance. As the last precious note decays into silence, they open their eyes...
...to find that the stranger is gone. Not even footprints in the sand remain as evidence of his presence.
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Natural 20 on your will save vs. fascinate bardic ability, natural 1 on Spellcraft.
Simply... Lol!
"Hmm. Dross, Travis, Felliped, Dashki and myself. That's probably all we can take safely. I don't want to have too many of us, but I don't want to be missing a blade if we run into trouble." Valik rubs his beard as he thinks.
"Yep. Five it is."
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"And all the missing Songs for Ali..." mumbles Ali. One of the ǧinnī Of all of the wonders of the desert, none of them are greater then the element-kin. Blinking away the dryness in his eyes Ali looks around at his companions. "Do you remember the last thing he said?
"to bring you a safe journey, success in your archaeological expedition, knowledge for Felliped, reknown for Theodric, and all the missing Songs for Ali!"
"I have not told you any of these stories yet, but some speak of powerful Jinn that when greeted with kindness and respect, they will return the favor three fold. They are able to grant to others whatever is the deepest desire within their hearts. I don't know... there was something magical about his last tale. Somehow I know I will find all of the missing songs, perhaps each of you feel the same? And to think... he had visited my people before... I didn't think it worth mentioning, but two days from now we will pass by a large volcano named the Pyre Crest. It was considered holy by my people, for they believed that it was home to group of powerful and dangerous efreet. It would be best if we begin to heed the old tales, and tread with caution."
Taking a handful of sand, Ali begins to put out the fire. "It's late and we have a long day ahead of us. Both of you try to get some sleep, Felliped, I'll wake you when its your watch."
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"I have never been so vulnerable. I had adventure in mind, but I'm not sure I'm really cut out for this kind of work , but do I even have a choice? I had plenty of time to come up with ideas... and this was the best I came up with?
""
After a small prayer in his thoughts with his head still hung low, Theodric mutters out loud:
"Renown... I can only pray that it be the kind i'm looking for. Listen, I'm going to perform a small rite. It's more a small reading from a book, I shouldn't be long if you all don't mind."
Theodric will pull a fairly worn copy of "The Order of Numbers" from his pack, and begin reading. Without even looking at page number, he opens the book quickly, in what seems to be a mindless but very deliberate fashion. The book has obviously seen better days, and is likely the most ragged possession which Theodric is seen to posses. After a few minutes and a few mouthed words, Theodric crawls up in his bedroll and curls up tightly, falling asleep quickly.
Garavel offers the old dormitory as sleeping quarters for Felliped and Valik, and orders a few of the other mercenaries to help them clean it up enough to sleep for the night. The two injured men retire early, in order to get a good night's rest before their mission.
Then, there is a man in the building. He is dressed in shining armor, emblazoned on the breastplate with a winged eye, his head hidden behind a tall helm. Go go to him, try to tell him what has happened, but he cannot hear you. He draws a longsword and attacks you. You run, down to the crypt, but he follows you, the sword slashing and cutting, and you fall. He stands over you, leering, as you crawl to the laboratory, and sink into the thick layer of mold.
Then, you are looking at Pale Mountain, ominous on the horizon. Saint Vardishal fades into view beneath it, translucent and disfigured with mold, holding out the scimitar to you in offering, urging you to take it.
You are awakened by the unearthly howl of the carrion king, and it is some time before you can return to sleep.
At around midnight, the air is rent with the nightly call-and-response howl.
The men are awakened while it is still dark by Dashki. They dress quickly and head to the exit, while Dashki goes to wake Dross and Travis. While they are waiting for his return, Utarchus approaches them.
"Hey. I'm s'posed t' be watchin' now, but I wanted t' tell you. Th' guard on th' wath afore me saw Dashki sneak off into th' night, early on. Told me about it, so I was lookin' f'r him t' come back. Almost missed it, he's a sly one. Looked like he didn' want nobody seein' him, inside or outside, if y' get m' meanin'. All told, he was gone a few hours. He--" The mercenary breaks off at the sound of the rest of the party approaching, and says more loudly, "So good luck t'day. Kills a few gnolls f'r me, will ye?" and good-naturedly cuffs Valik on the arm before heading back up to the chapel balcony to watch.
Father Zastoran hobbles into the nave on his cane, rubbing sleep from his eyes. "Ah, good, you haven't left yet! I just decanted a new batch of my healing infusion. Here, take it with you." He presses four small vials into Valik's hand.
Dashki narrows his eyes as Utarchus leaves, but leads the group silently out of the monastery and down the path outside. It leads down the hill from the monastery to the floor of the valley of Kelmarane, and then joins the trade road running alongside the Pale River. It is chilly at night, and the way is lit by the cold light of a near-full moon low on the western horizon. Rather than take the road, Dashki leads the party into the ribbon of trees alongside the river. Traveling through the vegetation is slower than walking on the open road, and the light of moon does little to illuminate their path among the trees. Dashki feels his way along with his staff. Fortunately, the sounds of rustling and thumping as the party stumbles along in the dark are covered by the sound of rushing water in the swift-flowing river to their right.
After what seems like hours, you reach the edges of Kelmarane, without encountering any resistance. The sky is illuminated with the gray light of dawn, and you can make out the ruins of the lower town, with the hill of Kelmarane looming behind them, and the great dome of the Battle Market silhouetted against the lightening sky. The nearest broken walls touch the band of vegetation along the river, and Dashki leads you to shelter behind one of these.
Map (note scale). You are at the X.
The city of Kelmarane is built partly atop an isolated bluff of hard stone which gives a commanding view of the valley. A winding road leads up the face of the bluff to the upper city, where the largest and most impressive structures are built. On the ground below, however, is the lower city, where the runs of smaller structures remain in the space between the southeast part of the bluff and the arc of the Pale River.
Surveying the lower town, you see that most of the ruins are completely collapsed, with just a few walls standing. A few buildings still seem to be somewhat intact. One large building in the middle of the ruins seems to have been more well constructed than the others, and remains standing. A line of buildings sheltered in the lee of the hill also seem to have fared better. A low stone bridge crosses the rushing Pale River, white with foam, and on the other side stand two buildings; one is clearly a mill , its wooden wheel still turning unevenly in the current, despite many rotten slats. The other is not immediately identifiable from the outside, but is distinguished by a thin line of smoke rising in the dawn twilight from one of its several chimneys. It has no windows to give away who or what might be inside.
Dashki points at the southernmost building of those against the bluff. "That's where I seen the Kulldis takin' meat. Three times a day. Somethin' big in there." He turns and points the other way, across the river. "Over there, the mill they go in with a goat, come out without it. Somethin' in there too, likes live prey maybe." He sniffs and peers at the other building across the river. "Somebody in there, looks like."
Valik looks at the buildings across the river, rubbing his beard.
"I don't like it."
"Look at the cliffs over there. Its basically a trap. If someone is watching the road and the bridge, we could get pinned over there pretty easily."
"So we are going to have to pull attention away from there before we do anything else."
"Lets go check out the building that gets food three times a day. If it turns out to be something mean...which I hope...between freeing that, and lighting some fires, we can cause some chaos, then go check out the building across the way."
"Thoughts? Dashki, anything to add?" Valik asks.
"Might work up north, like. Not many trees in Katapesh. Buildings all stone and clay, don't burn much. Old ones like these, supports and furniture all rotted away." He shrugs. "Freein' the beastie might work, assumin' the gnolls ain't tamed it."
"Ask me, we should lay low. Scout around, wait for opportunities. Ambush 'em." He peers beck over the wall.
Valik claps Dashki on the back.
"Sounds good. If we can't start fires, we will just have to be creative. Lead the way Dashki, lets go." Valik says, motioning to the house that gets food 3 times a day.
The breeze is not yet strong enough to erase prints left in the past days. The signs of your approach on camelback, and your movements around the camp, are plainly visible, but there are no other tracks leading to or from your campsite.
Today's weather, though it seems fine, may lead to sandstorms in the afternoon. The chances will probably be even higher tomorrow.
=>Fail
=>Fail
Dashki leads the party through the broken lower town, ducking behind partial walls, pointing out patches of rubble to avoid walking on, and otherwise making them as unseen as possible in the early morning light. There are a few clinks from Valik's armor, and Dross sends a rock skittering across the empty street with a careless kick of his boot, but there don't seem to be any watchers to notice.
The building the group is moving to is located at the base of the road that winds around the bluff to the top of the hill and the upper town. It appears that it was once a guard post, with an arched gateway across the road. Now, the arch has collapsed, and the rubble has been cleared enough that there should be no difficulty in passing it. The building itself is in bad condition, with the wall facing into the road collapsed. The other three walls still stand, though the stucco that once covered them is peeling badly, and about half of the tile roof is still intact. As the group draws close, Dashki motions for them to halt.
"I hear somethin', he whispers, "Snorin', like." He listens closely and peers around the corner of the wall, then returns to the group, eyes wide and shaking his head. "Dire boar. They're nasty. Keep on fightin' even after they're dead. Not chained, don't look like. Maybe tamed for a guard. Sleepin' now, though."
"Ok, that doesn't make any sense. It isn't chained up? At the first provocation the critter will just run off. And it didn't stop us from getting into the town, so what is the point of it guarding anything?"
"Dashki, do you think that you can get inside this building and poke around? Can we boost you over the wall maybe?" Valik whispers.
Dashki shrugs. "Dire boar's mean, ugly. Not stupid, anyway not too stupid to know friends. Fresh meat three times a day, he'll be nice enough to gnolls, I reckon. Humans, he'll probably charge on sight." He looks back in at the boar. "Or smell, more like. Probably shouldn't get too much closer, even if he is asleep."
The dire boar snuffles and grunts in its sleep, as if to underscore the guide's point.
"Might be able to sneak past if we want to go up, since it's sleepin'. Wouldn't want to try it awake."
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Felliped stands by while Dashki and Valik discuss a plan. He doesn't want to interfere but when Dashki suggests sneaking past he says " Lets get past while we can Valik, I'd hate to be pig food before I get a chance to rescue my friends. "
"If we go past it, and get in a spot of trouble, we will be trapped between whatever we stumbled into, and the boar. Do we really want to press forward without securing our route of escape?"
Dashki shrugs. "Up to you. Ask me, we scout out the lower city more, ambush a patrol or two."
The boar grunts and stirs in its sleep.
"Better decide fast, though, or it'll be boar like it or no. Better wakin' it with arrows than waitin' for it to charge."
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By the time Felliped stands up and stretches, Theodric is up and about. His bag is packed and a small fire is burning with boiling water atop. He seems to have a strange air of seriousness about him, getting an earlier start than he usually does.
"As soon as the two of you are set, I'm ready to go."
Theodric chews a small piece of dried meat and one of the small cakes he keeps protected in three layers of cloth in his pack. He chases each bite of cake down with a small sip of tea. He does this with each bite, as if one is incomplete without the other.
"Good enough for now. Let's go see if there are any patrols moving around down here, and lets check that domed building over there. Lead the way Dashki. Oh, I just remembered something. If we have to scatter, meet back at the river spot that Dashki led us to."
Old scorch marks on the wall of the domed building indicate that whatever was flammable was burned long ago. What remains is primarily the outer wall and dome. A ruined sign hangs above a gaping entrance on the north side of the building; the part that is left reads --AVE MARKET.
Valik waves Dashki forward toward the entrance, trusting the scout's senses. As soon as he gets a few paces ahead, Valik trots after him, carefully matching his pace.
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Felliped draws his sword looking nervous at the prospect of entering. Nevertheless he follows Valik in without hesitation.
As Dashki is moving to investigate a larger pile of stones in the southeast corner of the building, Felliped notices a movement: shiny scales, cold glittering eyes. However, he has no time to act before a huge snake, its body as thick as a man's torso, it's head the size of a shield, strikes at the guide from the debris!
Fortunately for Dashki, the strike does not hit him straight on, and his hardened leather armor prevents the fangs from penetrating.
9 Sarenith, 4711
Shortly after dawn
Surprise Round
Initiative
Surprise Round
Snake (acted)
Felliped
Round 1
Travis
Snake
Dross
Dashki
Felliped
Valik
9 Sarenith, 4711
Shortly after dawn
Round 1
Lighting: The dim lighting inside the building gives a 20% miss chance to attacks by creatures without low-light vision.
; ;
Snake
Dashki
Dross
Felliped
Valik
The snake, attracted by a quickly moving target, strikes again, this time at Felliped, but the nobleman manages to dodge out of the way.
Dross closes in, as Dashki yells, "Don't get too close, it's poison!". As Dashki steps back, drawing his bow and leaving an opening for Dross, the mercenary deftly slashes the creature with his guisarme, and blood flows from a gash along its coils. The snake hisses in pain, and fixes its gaze on Dross. Dashki follows with a shot from his longbow, but it glances off the creatures scales.
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Felliped takes Daski's advice stepping back from the snake he drops his sword and takes out his bow. He makes a few arcane gestures and with a riddle casts light on his bow.
School evocation [light]; Level bard 0, cleric 0, druid 0, sorcerer/wizard 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, M/DF (a firefly)
Range touch
Target object touched
Duration 10 min./level
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
This spell causes a touched object to glow like a torch, shedding normal light in a 20-foot radius, and increasing the light level for an additional 20 feet by one step, up to normal light (darkness becomes dim light, and dim light becomes normal light). In an area of normal or bright light, this spell has no effect. The effect is immobile, but it can be cast on a movable object.
You can only have one light spell active at any one time. If you cast this spell while another casting is still in effect, the previous casting is dispelled. If you make this spell permanent (through permanency or a similar effect), it does not count against this limit. Light can be used to counter or dispel any darkness spell of equal or lower spell level.
"What are they feeding that thing? Horses?", Valik asks as the shadowed shape of the snake rears up out of its nest.
Eying the beast Valik opts for caution, dropping a stone into his trusty sling, then spinning it up to a thrumming blur before sending it at the creature.
"I think that Dashki has the right idea. Let's turn it into a pincushion!"
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"My friends!" Shouts Ali, gesturing with one hand while he maneuvers the camel with the other. "We have reached the end of the dunes! By sunset we will be to our next stop!" Skillfully drawing his camel up next to Felliped and Theodric, Ali's gleaming white teeth flash though his beard. "It's going to get hotter soon, and the rest of the way will be though several rocky hills. We should stop of a few moments and let our mounts water before we continue." Swinging one leg off of his camel Ali retrieves a waterbag from his saddlebag and starts to fill it with some of their precious water, before slipping it over the head of his mount. "I'm sure you have all heard that camels can survive for weeks off its store in the desert, and that’s true, but there is no reason if we have the water to force the noble beasts into hardship." Half smiling at the antics between Zafira and Theodric. "Well some are noble at least. Regardless, before we go further, if you have brought with you any armor or weapons, I would keep them close at hand. Now that we have moved away from the desert, bandits and wild animals are far more common. It will be hot and uncomfortable wearing layer upon layer, but I assure you that it will far more comfortable than an arrow to the chest." As if to emphasize his point Ali begins digging around his saddle bags only to withdraw a pitted and dented breastplate. Slowly and methodically strapping it on, he then tests each buckle and strap making sure that it fits correctly, once he is done he hangs his Falchion across his back and then begins to check over his mount. "It is better my friends to be prepared, and not need it, then to need something and not have it. Let me know if you need help looking to your mounts, you especially Theodric. Ha Ha Ha"
9 Sarenith, 4711
Shortly after dawn
Round 2
Snake
Dashki
Dross
Felliped
Valik
Travis fires another shot, but the arrow clatters against the stones.
The snake slithers forward, intent on Dross. He takes a swipe at it as it closes, but it is too fast for him, and in the opening left after his swing, it darts its head forward and bites him, fangs piercing his chainmail and stabbing deep into his torso. He screams and staggers back, ashen-faced, trying to keep some distance between himself and the immense snake. Staggering as he fumbles in his belt pouch, he almost drops his guisarme as he draws out his potion and quaffs it. Immediately, he looks stronger. The blood ceases to flow from his wounds, and his face is closer to its normal color. Still, his breath comes short, and beads of sweat coat his forehead.
Dashki backpedals away from the snake as well, firing an arrow, but missing.
Valik takes another step back, drops a stone into his sling and after a few quick spins, lets loose.
9 Sarenith, 4711
Shortly after dawn
Round 3
Snake
Dashki
Dross
Felliped
Valik
;
Valik's stone thuds between the snake's eyes, leaving a bloody dent, but still the reptile continues to thrash. Travis follows up with an arrow which grazes the snake, leaving a line of red blood.
The snake, badly wounded, confused by the ranged weapons, and surrounded, continues to press its attack against Dross. The sellsword again slashes at the snake with his polearm as it moves into striking range, but the blade glances off the snakes rough scales. Fortunately for the mercenary, his armor is as good as the snakes, and its bite does not penetrate the linked rings again. He steps back, regaining enough distance to bring his long weapon to bear, but again it fails to penetrate the snake's scales, as does the arrow Dashki launches against it before retreating to one of the open spots on the wall.
Dross's skin begins to take on a green cast, and his breath comes harsher.
Valik reaches out an places a hand on Dross's shoulder, willing the strenght of Sarenrae into him. His left hand glows with a soft nimbus and at the edge of hearing, the crackle of flame can be heard.
If you want to change your action, Valik, you can. For instance, you can use the Heal skill to treat poison as a standard action.
Seeing that there is little he can do in the midst of combat, Valik focuses on the snake.
9 Sarenith, 4711
Shortly after dawn
Round 4
Snake
Dashki
Dross
Felliped
Valik
Felliped's arrow misses the snake entirely, and Valik's stone bounces off the glossy scales harmlessly.
Travis's luck, or his aim at least, is better, and his arrow pierces into the snakes side. It rears up, mouth open as if to strike, shudders, and then collapses to the floor, unmoving. "Haha!" he crows.
Dashki puts his bow away and moves cautiously up to the snake, drawing his scimitar in the process.
Dross lowers the point of his guisarme to the ground and puts one hand over his chest. He takes a few deep breaths and the color begins to return to his face.