Praise be Zakhara, jewel of the sun, pillar of the rock, prince of all nations, sire of all wisdom, center of the firmament, whose sands are more dazzling than gold, whose springs are sweeter than the honey of bees, whose oceans are deeper than the void of Basim.
Revered be the Loregiver, mother of all knowledge, confounder of genies, deceiver of gods, she whose Fate is that which was given her. Honored be the Grand Caliph, blood of First Caliph, worthy of the gods, giant among men, scourge of the unbeliever, confidant of the genie-races. (And praised be, too, the genies of the four quarters and the genies of the four elements, that they may find pleasure in this tale.) It has reached me, O wise readers, that once there were, somewhere within the great city of Muluk a....
...young woman with dark hair and dark eyes, strolling through the bazaar. Her clothing is bright and colorful, her gait easy. She looks from side to side, taking in all of the sights and sounds around her.
... woman garbed in a long traveling cloak with the hood covering her hair; dust and dirt cakes the hem, and she carries a satchel that she clutches like she expects a pickpocket to strike at any moment. Her sandaled feet kick up dust from a lengthy road and the style and coloration of her adornment is not local. Beneath the cloak is the occasional flicker of a gauzy garment in a deep indigo color.
Craning her neck about, the sun-kissed woman has the manner of a traveler seeking refuge.
...young Human man sagged under the heat, even as he drew looks from the passers-by for his garb, which consisted of a tall, pointy hat with sigils on it, a long, flowing robe made of cotton, and shoes ill-suited to walk in the desert sun. The spine of a large tome peeked out of a satchel over one shoulder, which rattled with the sound of timy bottles clinking together when he moved.
A sack hung from the other shoulder carried a vase, it's slender ivory neck extending past the opening of the bag carrying it.
Likewise, he seemed completely bewildered by the spectacle of the city, as if he had been walking down the road in one place and the city had suddenly materialized around him.
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As the Elven begger called out for alms, the young man turned and said "I'll give you a crown if you do two things: first, you must bathe. You smell atrocious. Secondly, I need a guide in this city, so that I may be done with my task in short order. Will this work for you?"
"This thing" Orven indicates the vase in the satchel "is quite empty, so I'm afraid I don't have much in the way of drink to offer you. As far as the bathing goes, could we not use a bath at a local flophouse? do they not have those in this Muluk? and to be clear, the bathing is NOT negotiable."
The protagonists first started to meet each other in the famous Grand Bazaar(2) which sprawls out under the open sky. Visitors quickly become lost amidst the chaotic array of covered stalls and bewildered by the disorienting overload of sights and smells. Foods of all kinds can be purchased here: dates, wild honey, roast mutton, olives, steamed rice, pomegranates, sweet breads, and succulent fruit juices. Besides food, the second best bargain at the Grand Bazaar is indigo dye, which is sold here by plantation owners directly to the cloth dyers. Finally, all kinds of trade goods from the other Free Cities can be obtained at here: exotic potions and magical scrolls from Qadib, agate from Hafayan merchants, coffee and red glazed pottery from Liham, and finely-crafted metalwork from Qudr.
Chipluck
"I have no real business in the bazaar; this is just where my master left me; and my name is Orven the Magnificent, not Mr. Hat. That's a terrible brand name. Let's get to the baths and let you take care of yourself, and I'll have a glass of wine and wait for you. I'm sure it will be lovely." Orven continues to keep up with the Elf, despite his load.
The young woman with dark hair and eyes moves through the throngs of people easily. She spots a foreigner speaking to a beggar and smiles to herself. The mutasawil will take him for everything that he has to give, she thinks. In no particular hurry, she browses the wares of a date salesman. Perhaps a coffee before I make my way to the city center.
As you turn towards going to bathes, you notice a large crowd
starting to assemble near one of the many wells. You see a man in his 30s chasing after a younger man who is carrying what you think may be a fish. The younger man tosses the fish into the well. And the throng is assembled around the quarrel between the fisherman and the younger porter.
The brown-skinned traveling woman pauses and pulls her hood across her face. Her kohl-rimmed eyes flicker over the altercation, wondering if this is just a father-son spat, or a case of a magic talking fish, or... ?
"Chopping off a limb for stealing a fish seems rather....excessive." comments Orven.
The fisherman screams, "Boy, that was the first fish I have caught in 3/4s of a moon... Effendi... My family will starve."
He then decks the other man with his palm.
Nura watches the affair with detached interest. For a moment, she considers intervening, but decides better of it and moves forward for a better view. Still, she cannot help but remember a tale from her childhood about a talking fish that granted wishes. But if that were the case, why toss it away? Very curious, indeed. She moved forward to the front of the crowd and, straightening her clothing, approached the pair.
"Sadeeq," she says to the fisherman, "Surely I am beneath your notice, but might five dirhams equal the value of your lost merchandise?"
Chipluck
The man turns to Nura and says, "That particular fish is a prize second to none. 5 Dirhams does not represent a fair replacement but you seem to be someone of resource, mayhap you would be interested in retrieving the fish for me down the well?"
"Surely does Fate smile upon both of us, for you need assistance, and I am of a mind to help. I will retrieve your prize, sadeeq. And you," she says, turning to the boy, "Will go with me. I have put my own neck out for you; you owe me as much."
The boy says, "I will not go on any venture that will assist this man in recapturing that beautiful fish, she deserves to swim free."
The traveler stands by and listens to the dispute, not really sure if she should even be involved, but curious about the fish nonetheless.
"It sounds like the boy has a personal stake in the life of a fish. Clearly he is a madman, although it's good to see that there are heroes everywhere. Come guide, let's go and lend a hand."
"Would you rather face justice for your actions? It could cost you a hand or worse! What makes that fish worth it?"
The boy says, "You are obviously not from Muluk, our wise Calipha, may she reign for an abundance of years, would never separate me from my hand over a fish and everyone in this bazaar has seen that I have not claimed said fish for mineself. I think you would be happy not to have me along fore I would hamper any efforts. Good Day!"
Chipluck has no luck and grabs the woman and not her bracelet and she screams, "Abduction! Abduction! This man tried to sell me to the slavers, I knew it!!!! By the Loregiver, stop him!"
The dusty traveler steps back a hesitant half-step and clutches her pouch, suddenly wary. She whispers something and there's a momentary sparkle of mist nearby, then nothing.
GM Rolls
The gen says, "I shall be back in the swat of a camel's tail or the length of a breeze." as it disappears in a plume of purple smoke.
"Ma'am, I believe that you are confused. This man is in my employ, and I can assure you that we have no intention to take you anywhere. I'm sure he just jostled you and that you are hysterical, given what is going on."
The woman is now even more angry and says, "Oh, so this man is in your employ, eh, so what you want to schlep me back to Kara Tur somewhere, what is one of them countries... Koryo... that is it. And then you insult the goddess Jauhar... by the Loregiver.... First, you do not look like you could afford a retainer and second, you cannot abduct me. Constablry!!!!
"Very well, boy. I will not stop you, but you take your Fate into your own hands." She turns back to the fisherman. "I will...
There is a row nearby, apparently, a failed abduction attempt, that distracts her and Nura turns to see what is happening.
Nahla's wet feet appears on Fadilah's shoulder and he says, "Mistress, I have returned from The Citadel of a Thousand Pearls and I have been successful. These dry people are very odd. Let's go into the well. It will be wet there... "
The fisherman says, "My name is Babazadeh. I suggest going into the well because the fish was caught at sea and fresh water may kill her in a short period of time."
"Of course, sadeeq." Nura climbs over the lip and begins to shimmy down the rope into the well.
"Thank you, Nahla - you visit the most interesting places..." says Fadilah when her gen returns. "One moment." She makes a few arcane gestures and quietly, subtly, conjures a barrier of armor-like force.
"In the well?" she asks incredulously, but then Nura starts to shimmy down the rope. "Um. That seems... odd." Nevertheless, she advances slightly to peer down the edge of the aperture.
Nura tries to climb down the well.
GM Rolls
She makes her way down to the bucket.
The 6-foot-diameter well is circled by a lowstone wall. Water can be drawn up in a bucket using aline hitched to a donkey. Over 50 feet deep, the well isfilled to a depth of 20 feet with cool, fresh water. There isno sign of the fish or any treasure, but there is a small,brick-lined tunnel.
The woman who Chipluck tried to steal from finds some guards armed with swords.
Nura spots the tunnel and enters. She immediately curses her decision not to acquire torches and a tinderbox and begins to feel her way along.
Chipluck , Orven , Fadi
Chipluck makes his way down the rope and onto the conduit, however Orven and Fadi are not successful and fall into the drink.
Orven sighs and then follows the disgusing Elf's advice, diving into the well. Sighing, he now sees the words of wisdom his master gave when telling him to make sure to waterproof his spellbook.
He tries to grab the rope, but realizes that he's just carrying too much stuff, and hits the water with a rather loud splash.
"Now what?" Orven asks.
Fadilah peers down the well, then whispers to Nahla, "Perhaps a feather fall spell is in order?"