Legends of Katapesh - Legacy of Fire

Game Master justaworm

Hazreem flies over to Efreat. "Do you think we should tell them about the Impossible Eye?"

At Efreat's question, the bronze giant turns to him and says, "Flaming one, the Grand Vizier has Bayt Al-Bazan under a powerful curse, but his trusted agents may approach closer than any and yet still leave. Nevertheless, Abjerzjerax is plenty foul tempered and nearly destroyed me the last time I sought the Vizier's counsel through him."

"You should all come with me. Lingering around the fire giants while I am gone would be foolish." The bronze giants beckons you all to follow him and begins walking towards the stairway leading up and stops short. "Ahh nearly forgot. Drassk, bring the djinni with us." At the bronze giant's request, of the fire giant goes to retrieve the djinni prisoner.

Feel free to ask any further questions (before or after decided on whether to take him up on following along).

Map Link to see how things have shaped up during all the talking.

Bahir nods his head in agreement, "Yes, let us speak somewhere more private and safe." He stays flying but continues to try and stay at equal height with the bronze giant.

At being give the all clear, Mah'ysa moves rapidly to catch up with the others following the Bronze Giant.

Hazreem gives the group of fire giants a mistrustful look before he flies off with the others.

Efreat flies after the rest. Keeping a meaningful distance from the bronze giant.

The five of you collect yourselves and wait for the djinni to be brought up, some watching intently to ensure no further harm comes to him. Once the djinni has been brought near, you can once again hear his soft sobbing and moaning. He does not look like he had suffered any significant injury from the hands of the fire giants yet. Seeing your concern, the bronze giant speaks, "We found him just sitting locked up in a cell. Wretched thing he is, just crying non stop. Lucky for him the fire cult lizards didn't find him first. We shall get to his story after I confer with Abjerzjerax. All surviving trespassers must give an account."

<I. Party questions or actions here>

Once you have all assembled the bronze giant leads you up a stairway to the next level. The stairway leads up to large room, some 130'x70'. A fire giant sits on the floor here staring through one of the countless murder holes that guard the grand stairway below (that which the two fire giants broke from combat and began heading down). A large iron meshed crate filled with fiery red salamanders sits next to him, ready to be pushed through one of the murder holes. Near other murder holes, you spot boulders and a large barrel. Upon seeing the party alongside his captain, the fire giant leaps up and brings his warhammer to ready. They exchange some words in giant and the fire giant eases his guard. He does not sit back down though. Not being a stranger to palaces, you can easily infer that this is a guard house and the grand stairway below likely leads to a gate. As you make your way through the room and are about to enter through a set of double doors to the north, you notice a little side passage that leads to north alongside the room that you are about to enter. The entrance to the roof level, where Ymeri's pyramid sits, is likely down this way since there is no doorway in this main room.

<II. Insert any questions or actions here>

The giant opens the large set of twin 10 ft. solid brass doors and enters into what is clearly a barracks judging by the rows of oversized bunks and furniture. It does not look like the fire giants used this room, however, as the furniture looks in quite some disrepair and there are no personal belongings lying about. As you come into the room, the throng of hissing and roaring is unmistakable. On the far eastern side of the barracks a huge blood-red serpent with 11 snake-like heads stands up from the ground, clearly unhappy seeing guests. It is undoubtedly a hydra and more likely the deadlier pyrohydra variant. Your spine tingles at the thought of fighting such a beast as it would be a formidable foe, especially in your current condition.

Directly to your north there is an entrance to a large minaret, and there are four other sets of doors throughout the room. The pyrohydra guards the western door and there are two other doors to the north and one to the south, likely other quarters or storerooms by your guess. The bronze giant approaches the immense serpent slowly, and raising his hands he calms the beast in the giant tongue, ”Embertongues, down! Easy girl, we have guests.” The pyrohydra backs down but keeps a wary 22 eyes on you as you approach.

<III. Insert any questions or actions here>

You cautiously pass by the hydra through the western door. This room is without a doubt the bronze giant’s personal quarters as various pieces of furniture have been repurposed to make new furnishings appropriately sized for the bronze giant. Bales of wiry wool and flax cover stacks of crates and boxes, creating a huge bed, a tattered tapestry draping over the heap like a blanket. An open topped crate serves as a footlocker at the foot of the bed, and stacked nearby are a number of bronze spheres, each about the size of a humanoid head. They appear to be finely crafted and likely are for throwing given what you know about these giants. A number of bunks have been torn apart and rebuilt to form a giant sized desk. While adequate, these quarters are hardly something you would see fitting for a commander of guard having been here for untold centuries, as the bronze giant has let on. It would be hard not to feel sorry for him if he truly has lived this way for that long. Drassk, you may leave us now and return to your guard. Send more giants into the hold of the Flickering Candle and see if you can recover any more supplies. And Drassk, for as long as I live these mortals have my protection. Inform the others as well.” Drassk acknowledges the giants requests with a sneer, releases the genie, and heads back out. The bronze giant turns back to you, ”Wait here. I would not recommend coming out with me to meet Abjerzjerax. Should I not return, know that the Keepers of the Haunted Palace lie beyond the doors you asked about. They are led by the unliving former Imam and Chief Enuch under Jhavhul’s, and later his brother’s, court.

<IV. Insert any questions or actions here>

With that, the bronze giant opens the double doors to the west, revealing a battlement level overlooking the gleaming splendor of the city. You catch a glimpse of two fully sized statues of efreeti warriors formed with some sort of red stone. Their scimitars point out over the city while their other hand is stretched out, seemingly to warn intruders. The bronze giant steps out and closes the doors behind him.

Player maps of this level are updated. Feel free, well ... to be free here.

Level E updated player map

Party actions I>
On seeing the Djinni...

We found him just sitting locked up in a cell. Wretched thing he is, just crying non stop.

"If he is afflicted with some kind of insanity, I may be able to cure him!" Mah'ysa said anxiously.

... Should I not return...

Mah'ysa frowned.

Party actions I>

On seeing the Djinni...

Bronze Giant wrote:

We found him just sitting locked up in a cell. Wretched thing he is, just crying non stop.

"If he is afflicted with some kind of insanity, I may be able to cure him!" Mah'ysa said anxiously.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (20) + 8 = 28

Bahir is quick to agree with his fiancée, "Yes, it will be difficult to get any story from him in his current state. We should all like to hear his story,"

========================
Party actions II>
Just staring about with wide eyes, crowding against Bahir.

"Is the pyramid under your control? Is it a sacred place to you?"

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[dice=Knowledge:Arcana vs DC23]1d20+8
"A Pyrohydra! I've only ever heard of them in books!" She said, excited.

Not trusting the creature completely, Bahir places himself between it and Mah'ysa as we pass.

========================
Party actions III>
Just staring about with wide eyes, crowding against Bahir.
========================
Party actions IV>

Bronze giant wrote:

... Should I not return...

Mah'ysa frowned.

"Master Giant, are you in some kind of danger here?" She queried.
[dice=Diplomacy]1d20+8

"Yes, who or what is Abjerzjerax? Wait...you said unliving. Is this Imam undead? Who exactly are the Keepers of the Haunted Palace and do they still serve Jhavhul's cause? Who is his brother?"

Party actions I:

Hazreem grunts noncommittally on hearing the bronze giant. "Yeah we ran into them earlier."

Party Actions II:

Hazreem is silent, but he take note of every feature of the area.

Party Actions III:

Hazreem blanches an even further shade of blue. If that beast...err...Embertongues had joined the battle, then our corpses would now be decorating these walls!

Party Actions IV:

Hazreem watches Drassk leave and his gaze lingers on the door he exited. "I do not trust him. Should our host not return, the giants will turn against us mark my words!" He sighs heavily. "I think we are being watched. Careful what you say here."

Ok, lets handle each breakpoint separately

For expediency, let's also assume that introductions have been made now as well. The bronze giant introduces himself as Argbadh Karambagya

-----------Discussion at I.-------------

Argbadh responds to Bahir and Mah'ysa, "Good, you will have a chance to cure him in my quarters while I seek audience with Abjerzjerax."

Hazreem's comment piques his interest, "Hazreem, I have seen how you dealt with the salamanders of the Flickering Candle. They were quite a nuisance at times but served to keep the treasure hunters out, and they generally did not try to engage us for fear of us destroying them. When we found the bodies of the slain fire giants in the courtyard I did initially suspect them, which is why we raided their holdings, only to find them all dead. But you also say you have met with the Fire Cult lizardfolk now. Have they been eradicated as well?"

Hazreem shakes his head. "No Argbadh, they still live. We ran into one of their guardposts on the lower level when we first arrived here. We forced them to retreat where they barred the corridor behind them. We decided not to pursue them at that point as we feared walking into a trap."

Campaign tab updated with known clues related to Impossible Eye. Current status updated there and copied below (1 hour has gone by by the time you reach his quarters and he steps out to the battlement)
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Argbadh replies in kind to Hazreem, "Ahh, ok. The Fire Cult lizardfolk are nearly harmless for the battle tested as they don't overwhelm you in numbers. They are led by a powerful cleric, however, and have charmed one of our pyrohydra. We generally leave them be, unless the fire giants get too hungry, hah. It would be nice, though, if their chief were dealt with however. If this curse is ever lifted, they will need to be captured or destroyed ... well, I guess that depends on who makes claim to this place."

Bahir rubs his jaw in thought, "If I may ask, what god does this cleric serve?"

"Bah, who knows. We've never spoken to it and the lizardfolk aren't to keen on conversation. One of the other giants may be able to recall the symbol they wear, though. Sir Bahir, we are on the Plane of Fire. There is little here that you will find suitable to your moral liking, especially in this city of Efreet," the bronze giant grins.

The paladin chuckles and then says seriously, "While that may be true, some are worse than others."

well knowing lizardfolk, it is likely some filthy animal monster diety. Lamashtu perhaps. Who knows. Must be a significant cleric though as they bested my warpriest and another giant some time ago.

At the talk of the Fire Cult holy symbol Drassk chimes in, "Captain I recall something like a mouth spewing lava from it." Argbadh shrugs, "Hmm, does that mean anything to you?

"Come let us continue up the stairway..."

Giving Efreat a chance to chime in too before moving on to II+

Knowledge(Religion): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (10) + 16 = 26

The paladin's brow furrows in thought as he walks, "Hmmm, the fanged mouth spewing forth lava is a nominal symbol for the Demon Lord Flauros. A god of Fire, Salamandars, and Volcanoes. Flauros has been at war with Ymeri, Mistress of Fire for countless millennia over the control of salamanders. Flauros lords over his domain of the Bloodpyre Fields, a realm of burning seas and constantly erupting volcanoes that seems like a dark reflection of the Plane of Fire." He chuckles again and nudges Mah'ysa slightly, "See, I didn't fall asleep in all of my seminary lessons."

"I have no love for Ymeri, Queen of the Inferno, but a demon lord does sound worse indeed. Maybe these Fire Cult lizardmen aren't as harmless as we thought. I will have to think on the matter more", Argbadh responds.

-----------Discussion at II.-------------

As the you all make your way through the gatehouse room with murder holes looking down over the grand stairway, Bahir sees the (likely) door to the upper roof level where he saw the great pyramid just earlier. "Is the pyramid under your control? Is it a sacred place to you?", he asks respectfully.

Argbadh responds, "Yes, the roof level is under our domain, including Ymeri's pyramid. Sometimes the ghuls or what was once the Imam wander about to look over the courtyard when our patrols are not nearby. They don't stray too far from the upper entrance to the palace, however."

Knowledge(Religion): 1d20 + 16 ⇒ (9) + 16 = 25

The paladin leans in toward the others, "I have heard of these ghuls, ask me later and I shall tell you what I know..." He turns back toward the bronze giant, "I believe one of the places we were seeking to visit is the pyramid, would this be possible?"

Knowledge:Religion: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (6) + 14 = 20

"The ghuls are not much trouble, except maybe in numbers. The former Imam Shabendeh has become something else entirely, something much stronger. Bargoas, the former chief eunuch, now sits on the throne demanding fealty from all within the palace. I cannot say what he has become either, but he is also a dangerous foe." The giant motions you all forward, "Once we are finished upstairs you may visit the pyramid. Come now."

-----------Discussion at IV+.-------------

Upon Argbadh's mention of the danger with meeting Abjerzjerax, Mah'ysa frowns, "Master Giant, are you in some kind of danger here?" At Mah'ysa questions, Bahir unleashes his stream of conscious thought, "Yes, who or what is Abjerzjerax? Wait...you said unliving. Is this Imam undead? Who exactly are the Keepers of the Haunted Palace and do they still serve Jhavhul's cause? Who is his brother?"

Argbadh's face turns hard, "Abjerzjerax is a fierce magma dragon and one of the Vizier's most trusted servants. He watches over the noble districts of the City of Brass. He and I have history, though he was not a dragon then, and he can be quite foul tempered when bothered. I am in trouble? Yes, I am deeply troubled. My service to the Vizier should have ended long ago but stuck under this curse I am still forced to serve.

"Yes Bahir, the Imam and most inhabitants of the now haunted palace, as they call it, are as well. We call them the 'Keepers of the Haunted Palace', and they are led by the former Imam, Shabendeh, and the former Eunuch, Qilzar Bagoas. There are a host of ghuls and insane efreet with them as well. They claim that they are now the masters of Bayt Al-Bazan, though they rarely leave their domain."

know(arcana)1d20 + 16 ⇒ (13) + 16 = 29
well, that would have been useful.

Efreat listens to it all with a pensive expression. "If I am correct in my understanding, then these 'Keepers of the Haunted Palace' are enemies of the Sultan and thus should be deposed. Correct?"

Heh, well it is hard to come up with a DC for a scalable monster like a dragon (where a young one is potentially 15 off the DC for knowledge, etc.). You've certainly heard of magma dragons. Here is common knowledge based on your check.

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"I can't imagine that the Sultan or Grand Vizier cares much about the meaningless factions that have come about in here. The Grand Vizier simply wants his toy back, and the Sultan likely just wants the Vizier to have his toy back too. The Impossible Eye would give them a significant advantage over their potential usurpers. Ultimately, as long as they don't seek out the Impossible Eye for themselves, they are probably serving the Vizier's desire to keep the artifact from potential looters as they also serve to destroy looters who wander into the palace area", after pausing for a second he continues, "The only ones who truly care are us, since they pose a threat, and whoever would claim rightful ownership of this castle. We thought the line of Jhavhul died out with the death of his brother, as Jhavhul was thought dead after not having been heard from Jhavhul for so many years. I would guess that Jhavhul is still rightful owner of this place and one day would want to return to claim it."

He chuckles, "Hah, a barrel full or pickles for you. To escape you need the Vizier to lift the curse. But in lifting the curse you are doing Jhavhul a favor. Ahhh, life...

Hazreem's ears perk up at the mention of the Impossible Eye.

Interesting. It sounds like Argbadh does not know the artifact is capable of lifting the curse. Would it be a mistake to tell him this though...

"The Impossible Eye you say? Did the Grand Vizier lose it or was it stolen?" Hazreem asks him.

"It was stolen from the Grand Vizier in an elaborate heist and brought here. That is why the Vizier cursed this place and garrisoned us here as a guard. Guardians of the Forbidden Gate he called us." Pounding his fist into his hand he continues,"Total goblin feces!" He composes himself again, "More like Guardians of boredom and monotony ... at least until you all came along."

"Wait, how do you know of the Impossible Eye! You came here trapped in a scroll as you have said..." His demeanor begins to shift ...

Bahir holds his hands open in a placating gesture, "We did not arrive here knowing of it's existence but have come to know it through the residents who live here, who have chosen to confide in us. Mostly, we keep hearing from a disembodied spirit that seems trapped and would like us to help free it. We have yet to determine the source of this spirit or voice, but it seems that the Impossible Eye is key to our being able to escape from this place...or at least that is our best guess as to what its cryptic messages have meant. Do you know who might be contacting us? Another prisoner perhaps?"

Quick recollection on this is that the weird voice did come from a visible reflection in various reflective surfaces. The image always appeared as a wild-eyed Garundi man with long white hair.

Bahir's words are effective in calming him again, "I am not expert in such matters Bahir. I am sure we have never encountered such a voice or spirit. It could be merely illusion magic at work, perhaps one of the ghostly members of the haunted palace, even somehow someone tied to the Impossible Eye. Maybe the Vizier is reaching out to you perhaps. I can ask about that. How did it speak to you? What tone? What did it say?"

When there is time, Efreat tells the group about magma dragons.

The paladin shrugs his uncertainty, "He has always shown up as a man appearing to be of Garundi ancestry, like I am. His image has shown up in various reflective surfaces we have come across. He seemed desperate for help but his messages have always been cryptic. What they mean we can only guess." Bahir frowns in thought, "You could be right that it is some other entity or force trying to trick us. Have you ever run across a white haired Garundi man here?"

"No, I have never seen such thing, and none of giants have reported seeing such a reflection either. Either way, the reflection seems like it is trying to get you to find the Impossible Eye, which is what is needed to have the curse lifted. Now you will have to excuse me. Make yourselves at home; heal the genie and learn his story if you can." With that, Argbadh steps out onto the battlement and shuts the doors behind him.

You can use this time to discuss what to do next, look around (if you desire), attempt to spy on Argbadh, try and break the feeblemind on the genie, and/or rest/relax. Don't forget that Hazreem is still fairly injured.

"Is anyone still injured?" Mah'ysa asked, looking over her companions.
Heal: 1d20 + 10 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 10 + 1 = 18

After that, she will examine the djinn to discover what ails him. She used a Touch of Good on herself to aid in her focus.
Heal: 1d20 + 10 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (6) + 10 + 5 + 1 = 22

Hazreem flies over next to the priestess. "Yeah, those giants gave me a serious beating."

Hazreem is at 33 HP currently, Max is 134.

Once Mah'ysa has healed him, he turns his attention to the sobbing genie. "Let us see what other ailments you have..." He says softly to himself. Take 10 on Heal, total 31.

Afterwards he decides to heal up his own wounds.

Heal, Treat Deadly Wounds: 1d20 + 21 - 4 ⇒ (20) + 21 - 4 = 37 Total HP gained is 12 (level) +7 (WIS) = 19...so total will be 52 HP. This takes one hour of time.

Mah'ysa sacrifices her Healing Warmth spell to cast Cure Critical Wounds on Hazreem for 4d8 + 11 ⇒ (4, 6, 5, 8) + 11 = 34 healed.
Then she sacrificed her Calm Emotions spell to cast Cure Moderate Wounds on Hazreem for 2d8 + 10 ⇒ (1, 8) + 10 = 19 healed.

It is clear from his symptoms (your heal checks), detect magic+spellcraft, and what you all know about common arcane magic that the djinni is suffering from a feeblemind spell. Mah'ysa and Efreat knowledge of healing and arcane magic can confirm that the spells heal, limited wish, wish, or miracle are the only ways to remove this condition.

Edit: -------------VV

Looks like Hazreem is now about as low as everyone else now

Others are still injured somewhat, just something to keep in mind if your plan is to continue exploring:
PCs:
Mah'ysa 70/95
Bahir 108/152 (DR 10/adamantine)
Hazreem 105/134
Paellat 107/107
Efreat 79/106
NPCs:
Spooky 15/15

Channel Positive Energy for everyone (2 uses of Lay Hands On): 6d6 ⇒ (1, 6, 6, 5, 4, 3) = 25

Bahir shares the following about the ghuls:

While brought about in various ways, ghuls are undead genie (almost always jann) seemingly made up of equal parts bone, flesh, and blood-red smoke. Their transformation leaves them with donkey hooves as feet, something the first jann-ghuls were subject too as they displeased Ahriman, Lord of the Divs. Many ghuls find their donkey hooves most repulsive as their pride is not diminished in their transformation. Ghuls feed on both the living and the dead and try to avoid sunlight, though suffer no weakness from it. Ghuls become more ferocious the longer it has not fed. Groups of ghuls tend to gather and use pack tactics to bring down their prey.
Special - Change Shape (hyena), Undead traits, Fire resistance, DR/good

Mah'ysa raised her ankh high and Channeled positive energy to heal all in the room 6d6 ⇒ (3, 4, 2, 1, 1, 2) = 13 points of damage.

After that, she will kneel down by the djinni and call upon the fires of Sarenrae to cast Heal on him; curing almost all status effects and healing 110 points of damage as well.

Mah'ysa lays a tender hand on the djinni and casts Heal on him while the party stands ready for any potential hostility from the genie. A wave of positive energy washes over him and he immediately falls to the ground on his hands and knees. "Thank you friends! You have surely save my life. What horrid torment to sit in that cell for eternity, not in control of my mental state yet still able to discern everything around me, and completely at the mercy of those horrid fire salamanders and then the fire giants. Tell me, who are you, how long was I captive, are we not in danger from that giant, and what has become of Shazathared?"

"I am, Bahir al-Asim Abdul Shihab "The radiant protector, servant of the flame", "Abbot-Protector of Kelmarane" and this is..." He introduces everyone formally before continuing, "We are prisoners of this place similar to yourself and Shazathared. She is well and we can take you to speak with her. We have only recently arrived, so unfortunately we are unaware of the length of your imprisonment. I do not believe we are currently in danger from the bronze giant but time will only tell. Who are you and how did you come to be here?"

"Shazathared still lives! That is excellent news my friend.
I was a member of a raid organized by her family to free her and bring her home. We infiltrated the palace, but Al-Hassan's defenses were much greater than we understood. He must have used his wish magic to better fortify this place. We engaged Al-Hasan, a host of efreet led by a powerful Imam, as well as salamanders and lizardfolk commanded by a mutant fire-breathing lizardfolk cleric. It was a battle of legends, and things were going well for us especially once Al-Hasan was slain. Shortly after he fell though, some terrible wave of magic washed over us, knocking everyone down to the ground in pain and filled with a sudden dread. As I came back to my senses and tried to continue the battle, I felt arcane magic assault my senses and then completely reduce my mind to mush."

He stands up, "I am Iavesk, and I am forever indebtted to you. Come, bring me to Shazathared so we can free and return her." He begins to head towards the door ... "Oh, what are we going to do about the fire beast outside?"

Bahir holds up a hand for patience, "We are awaiting the return of the bronze giant Argbadh. He could be a powerful ally if he chooses to join forces with us."

Hazreem nods in reply. "Yeah, not to mention the fact he is the only one who can control the pyrohydra." He shakes his head and adds "I think Embertongues has not grown...used to our presence yet. However Iavesk, now would be a good time to talk of the Impossible Eye. What do you know of it?"

"I am sorry Hazreem, but I know nothing of it. Forgive me, but what is going on here. Why are you prisoners here, yet walk freely and not under guard?", the djinn inquires, puzzled.

Knowledge:Planes: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (18) + 14 = 32
Mah'ysa glanced at the others.
"We are all prisoners here. Exiled here in this cursed place by...
"Ah, forgive my impertinence, but rumors travel the Ethereal faster than thought. Are you not... brother to Jhavhul?" She said hesitantly.

"Me, Jhavhul's brother? Hah, I think that your mind may have wandered off while told my tale. The Djinn are sworn enemies of the Efreet and could not be brothers any more than Sarenrae and Rovagug would be play cards together. We battled Jhavhul's brother, Al-Hassan, when we raided the castle to free Shazathared," Iavesk responds comfortingly.

"How did you come to be exiled here? And, how are you walking freely, fighting giants, and yet trapped here? Can we not just leave?"