A Push of the Fates.... Zakhara... You Jewel!

Game Master Insnare

For trading purposes, I want to appraise the ancient coins that we found, to determine how much more than face value they are worth because of their ancient origin

Appraising (Int 13, and do have the proficiency): 1d20 ⇒ 16

And also do we know what the religious symbol is in the following?

In a dusty corner of the mosque, Zairiah finds a half rotten canvas bag filled with 1 silver piece and 14 platinum pieces of ancient origin and having the name in Chun saying Azaltin, also there is what looks like a copper religious symbol that has turned green with age.

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Also, can I redo my languages? When I started, I just chose some random race-languages, but didn't really know what languages were appropriate to the setting. Is there a list somewhere? I have the modern languages proficiency, so I assume that I speak a little bit of everything modern, and might be able to get my point across depending on how well I roll, but I don't really even know if there are race-languages (other than Genie languages? in this setting), and I don't want to be stuck with useless ones that are unrealistic for the setting.

In this campaign "Common" is Midani.

Here is from the setting book:

The Land of Fate also has a number of languages
spoken by select groups:
• Thieves’ Cant. More a lingo than a language, this
choppy vernacular is spoken only by rogues (members
of other classes can’t understand it). Thieves’ cant
differs slightly from city to city. Player characters may
not consider it a “known” language.
A Zakharan Phrase Guide
• Racial Languages. Zakhara lacks the alignment
tongues found in many other worlds. It does, however,
have a number of racial languages. The most
prominent is Jannti, language of the genies. Whether
Jannti is a single tongue with a number of dialects or
four closely related elemental tongues is a matter for
the sages to debate. In game terms, Jannti is one
language (unless the DM decides otherwise).
Other racial languages include the ancestral tongues
of many demihuman and civilized humanoid races:
Elvish, Orcish, Dwarvish, Gnomish, Kobold, Ogre, and
the like. Giantish and its dialects are also included.
Like Jannti, Giantish is considered to be one language
unless the DM decides otherwise. In general, racial
languages are used only between speakers who belong
to the same race and know each other well

Monster Tongues. Many of Zakhara's fell creatures
and unenlightened races speak a language all their
own. Examples include the tongue of the brutal yakmen and that of the rare and savage dragons.
• Dead Tongues. Through magic, sages have
mastered some of Zakhara’s forgotten languages-those
no longer spoken by any living culture. The Dead
Tongues include Noga, Kadari (from the Ruined
Kingdoms), Drow (from lands west of the Pearl Cities),
Affa (ancient language of the Isle of the Elephant),
and Chun (a savage tongue written upon the ruins of
the Haunted Lands).

I think either Frackit or the Sheikh could roll a religion check for you.

Thanks for the language list. I'll go with Jannti, Chun, and Thieves' Cant for my additional languages then, if it is okay to switch things up. I think we're getting along since someone in the party is able to interpret, but since we seem to run into two of those languages a lot, might be nice if more than one person could speak them.

Level Up:

No additional proficiencies this level (however I did correct some things in this area)
No boost to THAC0
No boost to saves.

Hit Points: 1d6 ⇒ 5

Thief Abilities:

Pick Pockets: 50%
Open Locks: 95%
Find/Remove Traps: 95% (increased by 20 to the maximum allowable)
Move Silently: 30% (increased by 10)
Hide in Shadows: 10%
Detect Noise: 20%
Climb Walls: 65%
Read Languages: 20%

Amusingly, the sha'ir's 5th level power is the ability to call upon jann for aid, so it's fitting that it comes after we made friends and established an in-game relationship with a group of them.

What do you guys want to give the Sheyisha the Sheikh?

We can give them one of the Rubies? I know Frackit though excited to work on a piece like that is willing to give it up.

I'd recommend some of the cash, the magical bronze plate (jann don't have to worry about heat the way that we do and they often use bronze weapons and armor), and the slippers.

They used magical powers to feed and house us, so giving them some magical items in exchange would be wise.

Zephy of the Winter Moon (+2 dancing scimitar)
Bronze Plate Mail is at least +2
Some kind of magical scarab
Slippers of Soft Movement
Short bow of +3

I already claimed the sword, and Zairiah already claimed the bow.

If Paritosh needs the plate mail to up his AC, it's his (though it would help me tank).
I pass on the magical scarab we might give away, but I think it might be poor form to gift something we have no full picture of its abilities.
The slippers I pass on.

Bronze plate is really bad in Al-Qadim because of the heat; you take huge penalties to your rolls.

The slippers are probably good for a rogue.

Scarab is probably a scarab of life protection, but it might be a cursed scarab instead. Can't tell.

We gotta give them something, it would be bad form to lowball them and not give them anything good. If everyone wants to claim all of the stuff from the ruins then I'll give them my magic staff, because I am not going to piss off the genies. (It impacts my class features badly, in addition to just being a crummy thing to do.)

The scimitar is a dancing scimitar which is magical and starts at +1.

I agree in that we should give something away. The question is what, though.
The thing is that our DM said that the penalties of the Armor in Fiery Zakhara rule only applies overland, so not in dungeons or in most cases where we engage in combat (unless he can drop in a clarification that would change the situation).
As a tank and our main healer, my dual role really requires me to optimize my AC; which drops from 5 to 0. Paritosh could use it as well to lift the stress on tanking hits as well (dropping his AC to similar numbers).

@DM: Sorry, +1. I forgot that the +2 was a temporary enchantment.

Well, it sounds like the party is greedy and doesn't want to give anything up.

I have an alternative solution, but you're not going to like it.

Having run this campaign for a very long time, I would say that the majority of encounters have been outside not inside. So the hot rule does apply. This one just happened to be inside.

Giving up the Staff of the Sea from the Padisha herself... that may invoke the Evil Eye on the party.

The choice is yours.

This is a different idea. I don't know if it will work. It might get the rest of the party off the hook, though.

I suggested previously that we give them the carpet. It is enchanted, only to stay clean and mended, but that is still magic, and it is stunning and worth a lot.

Does anyone have a description of the Slippers of soft movement? I can't find anything online that doesn't direct to boots of elvenkind... is it the same thing?

Probably fine with giving that up if we need to, and also okay with the brooch.

Or... don't we still have a scroll of protection from possession and a chime of opening that Nerim gave us? The Chime of opening is useful, but a limited charge item, and the scroll is a one time use.

I'll give up one of the waterskins full of healing waters before we let Fadilah give up the Staff of the Sea... but that waterskin belongs to me individually from bartering with the Zin for an extra waterskin (and paying for both), so I would rather use it to build my trading empire.

Not giving up the portable spring or the bow... already had to give up my magic scimitar and I need a magic weapon.

Well, the carpet is not magical and it is only valuable if sold in a city where the historical significance is known. The room was enchanted not the carpet.

Slippers of soft movement are basically reskinned for Zakhara of Boots of Elvenkind.

Abdalla was there for the entire trip, so you should probably give her items from the palace.

On gifts, we do have a lot of other things, there is no need to accuse anyone of being greedy or to quibble about the bronze plate.

Zairiah has a point as well; the carpet and silverware that came along with it, gemstones, slippers, brooch are all kingly gifts, and any of them will get us off the hook.

I don't recommend Fadilah to give up the staff either, not only for mechanical reasons (it's powerful) but also because it itself was a personal gift. It's bad form in Zakhara to gift away what was already gifted (especially a highly personal one; it just appears as if you don't like the gift and want to shift it to becoming something more base, like money). As a sha'ira, that might indeed come back to bite. Appeasing Jann at the expense of the Padisha is like gifting your Purple Heart medal which you got from the President to a DMV middle-manager who helped push your paperwork a little faster.

@Bronze Plate: If we really do have statistically more encounters where the hot rule applies, I yield the point and drop my want for the bronze plate (and wait until we come across enchanted lamellar or something). Maybe Abdalla can use it or something without baking in the afternoon sun.

Religion under 14: 1d20 ⇒ 8

My bad, I forgot to roll for you the religion check, Zairiah. I think the sheikh can tell you the coins' significance.

Zairiah

I updated the loot sheet with the things we added ever since the party expanded.

Gold Mirror Frames
Feast hall silverware and carpet
Ivory comb (antelope carving)
Book: The Kingdom of Lions: From the Founding to its Destruction
Scroll of Azaltin
Zephyr of the Winter Moon (Claimed by Ibn Taaib)
Tome of Clear Thought
Magical shortbow (Claimed by Zairiah)
Bronze Plate Mail
Golden Scarab Brooch
Slippers of Soft Movement
Ruby Eyes

If there is something else, please remind me.
Also I would like to add items from before we joined to the list. I saw a list of items here, but I'm not sure if they're available with the party (here).

Whoops, my mistake. It really seemed that if the carpet was magically preserved that it itself had a spell cast on it, but I guess I was wrong.

We still have the belt that was enchanting Uday/Ualda also, right ... not everyone would consider that enchantment a curse. Maybe we should spread out some items and let our hosts choose.

As far as where to go next, here it is by destination.

BETWEEN HERE AND MULUK
--Restore Lyda to her proper size, and take her home (Close to here)
--Uday/Ualda cure the lycanthropy (12+ level cleric required) [possible judgement scene in Lyda's village]
--Take Siti (Doppelganger) to find Yodfah (probably with Hanzala and the Brotherhood of the True Flame in the Weeping Desert) [and maybe kill or trick / swindle Yodfah thereafter]

MULUK
--Report back to Hanoushin (Time limited -- Muluk)
--Take Qasim (Glass Man) back to Muluk
--Deal with the undead beneath the tombs where Yodfah tried to kill us (Muluk)

HUZUZ
--Take the healing water to cure the Grand Caliph in Huzuz

I don't think we have time to go to Huzuz before we need to get back to Hanoushin. I think there was a time limit of some sort... maybe a bonus or something? Can't remember. Will try looking it up after work though.

It is Iyda not Lyda. Dopey boards making a capital I the same as a lower case l.

@Zairiah: Thanks for organizing the quests by destination. I've reflected this (and the other data) in the campaign log and cleaned it up a bit.

I hope this is the last of the things we're lugging around.

Do we need the Rod of Smiting, because we can turn that over

Oops again, sorry GM.

... Yeah, rod of smiting is another option. I think it played its story role.

On gifts, we do have a lot of other things, there is no need to accuse anyone of being greedy or to quibble about the bronze plate.

Got people to finally talk about it seriously, didn't it?

So, it seems like the Bronze Plate is going to be gifted. Will there be anything else? It seems like that is the consensus and then some non-magical treasure like the rubies or have I misunderstood?

Nura has no desire for any of the magical items beyond her scimitar and is fine with giving them up. On a side note, I should have her leveled up sometime tomorrow.

Let's do the bronze plate and the Rod of Smiting then.

_____

Sheikh brings up a good point as well. Looks like we talked about some things and then lost track of them

Ruby ring of protection +2 (but I believe Aggrammar took this)
Elven Lamellar +1 (unclaimed)
Philter of Glibness (unclaimed)
Scimitar +1 (Zairiah claimed this, but we never finished the discussion, so I never put it on my sheet... so still open if someone needs a magic weapon)

Also unidentified

Jambiya (magical)
Buckler (magical)
Short sword (magical)
2 Ioun stones (not sure what kind)
Belt of gender change (not exactly sure) that we took off of Uday/Ualda

Other treasure mentioned:
--12 golden discs or whatever they were from the tomb (these might be the "12 gold rings" from Shaddad's crypt (have scimitar design, related to "Kurigalzu") that I have listed?)
--A collection of gems, jewelry and stuff (unknown)

____

I have these things listed that we also found in the Shaddad tomb:

--Embroidered cloth of gold (not sure if valuable to a museum)
--Heavy gold crown (non magical, but likely worth something)
--Tattered red brocade robes (not sure if valuable to a museum)

Found in the Azaltin tomb:

--1 silver piece and 14 platinum pieces of ancient origin and having the name in Chun saying Azaltin (recently tried to appraise)
--A copper religious symbol that has turned green with age (unknown deity)
--Art object from the time of Azaltin that needs to be cleaned.
--The pieces of the gold framed mirrors I broke (seemed like pure gold when examined)
--Well preserved ancient carpet (Fadilah said it would be worth quite a bit)
--Rubies from the death statue (Frackit has one of them)

Previously discussed, from Nerim I believe:
Ivory scroll case (protection from possession)
Stout, ebony baton carved with lions and fitted with a smooth steel head (rod of smiting)
Hollow, brass tube, perforated by two small holes at one end (chime of opening)

Hanoushin being a historian would love the Rod of Smiting.

Okay, then let's switch to the Golden Scarab Brooch.

Fadilah did not want to give the brooch because it has not been identified and well could be cursed.

I mean, we can give an unidentified item, but giving our hosts something with a curse on it would kinda suck, eh?

I mention this because in core AD&D there are two kinds of magical scarabs: One that protects you from various bad stuff, and one that turns into a beetle and burrows into your heart and kills you. Don't want to accidentally give the latter one to someone we like...

While this is a bit meta-gamey, the general principle applies to all unidentified magical items. Cursed items are really bad and you don't want to give one to somebody that you're trying to be friends with.

I recommend Fadilah identify all the remaining items as well when we have in-character free time. Zairiah's carrying quite a cartful.

Aggramar hasn't confirmed claiming the ruby ring, so that is a viable gift as well, assuming nobody wants it for the additional AC.

If nobody else wants it (looking at you, Paritosh), I would take the Elven Lamellar +1 armor so long as I am in the party, and yield it once I die or leave for any reason.

Yeah, I'll keep identifying as time permits. Technically, it takes eight hours to cast identify, because I have to prep all of the items beforehand. I can touch one item per round for a number of rounds equal to my level (5) once I cast it, so long as they were prepared before the casting—meaning if I wanna identify something, I have to spend all day with it.

Also if it's cursed, when I touch it to identify it I risk setting off the curse. Good times. :)

Technically, there is one other avenue to get some info about magic items: wizard sight, a 3rd-level wizard spell that lets you automatically see if an item is magical and tell the school of magic. (It also lets you tell if someone is a spellcaster, which is its primary use.) This is, however, an uncommon spell, so there is no guarantee that Fadilah has even heard of it to try to get it. And it explicitly says that it doesn't detect curses!

Lamellar is considered Heavy Armor and if worn during the daytime in the desert it does incur penalties but you could put it on, when you go inside or underground.

Lamellar is considered Heavy Armor and if worn during the daytime in the desert it does incur penalties but you could put it on, when you go inside or underground.

Does that also apply to elven-made lamellar?

I am trying to figure out when the armor was given. To see if it was in fact Elven...

Here is the link (and the post) if it helps

I did write ring of protection but I did not write how well it protects.

Consensus is Ring, Armor, Philter, and one weapon: SS, J, Scimitar 1d3

The ring is a ring of protection +2
Armor is Elven Lamellar +1
Philter of Glibness
Scimitar +1

If Fadilah wants to cast Identify, she needs to do her rolls, doing identify does put her at a significant disadvantage for a day of adventuring. Now, I have already advanced it one day so from a metagaming perspective, she would be safe.

Apparently it's related to "The Hermit's Riddle" quest.

I was trying to figure out when the party got the armor so I can refer to it in the book.

I am going to assume that the gifts will be the bronze armor and one of the rubies, so that we can move this forward.

Cool. It will be the ruby that I have, since Frackit wanted to do something with the other one.

I figured Frackit would journal his experience in the Land of Fate. From his perspective. Kind of like the protagonist in Shogun. Alongside his workman's journal, Because that is so like a gnome.

According to the previous NPC list, I understood we had three companions:

Rashid -- honor bound to the party for a year and a day; He is in Muluk minding our ship.
Silverthroat -- with the party's caravan. He is the one that led us in to find the healing water.
Mahara -- the mystic we saved from the Dao. He's with us in case that jerk genie shows up again.

But apparently we also have Iyda, Qasim, Sitti, and Uday. Uday tried to kill Iyda, but both are now in our caravan.

Am I getting this right or am I confusing some NPCs for others? Who is traveling with us?

I think you misunderstood the list and only took the "other NPCs" part as companions. Many of the people listed on the quest list above that are also with us. The "other" list was just overflow... people not essential to active quests.

In the caravan with us:

--Siti (Doppelganger of Yodfah, wants to meet Yodfah)
--Qasim (Glass Man, wants to go to Muluk to find Amakim's descendant)
--Iyda (tiny, was captive of Uday, wants to be cured and go home)
--Uday/Ualda (werefox, freed Zin and Iyda from him, removed gender changing belt that the Zin had tricked him with)
--Silverthroat -- Led us in to find the healing water (past side quest of being able to heal the Grand Caliph perhaps)
--Mahara -- the mystic we saved from the Dao, just wants to travel with us for a while and avoid the Dao

Not with us, but part of the group:

--Rashid, who is in Muluk with the ship

_____

Also, just for clarification, I don't think that Uday ever tried to kill Iyda. He shrunk her and enslaved her and wanted her to become a werefox like he was.

Uday tried to kill the party and enslaved a bunch of Zin even the young Sham who is still with the party but has been hiding while the caravan was in the Janni camp.

Got it, thanks for the clarification. I've also added this to the campaign log.

Oh, I didn't know Sham was still with us. :) Awesome. :) I thought he went back with his relatives.

The young Zin, Sham really took a shine to you. That you trusted him meant a lot.