Frackit takes a minute and incants a prayer healing himself.
Thrn he will go for the paladin. He makes a different more complicated prayer.
Resting for a while sounds good.
The portable spring continues to provide water until Zairiah is unparalyzed and able to retrieve it.
Frackit will cast another healing on Zairiah
Fadilah puts up the magical tent for the rest of the day while the party recuperates from the encounter where rocks were thrown at a cacti patch.
The sun bakes the sand outside for the rest of the day.
GM Rolls
Once the sun sets, the NPCs take up guard positions around the campsite and but Mahara knowing that he needs to replenish his remove paralysis spell, takes a shorter guard. The evening goes by without a hitch and Mahara removes paralysis from Zairiah first.
Aggrammar assists with healing his wounded companions as best as possible, but he also does not possess the ability to magically remove their paralysis.
Frackit will cure paralysis on Nura. Then cure up others.
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After eating breakfast, off in the distance you can see what appears to be a 24 ft tall ebony skinned giant wearing crimson robes and probably gigantic gold chains around his neck walking towards you.
"Giants great!" Frackit says as he goes to to the others.
"And here I asked for healing over combat prayers." The gnome said not overly found of giants, trolls and ogres in general. Though in a strange land with strange customs, Frackit was still from the Realms where goblinoids and giants are a threat.
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Seeing the giant approaching, Nura's hand instinctively goes to her scimitar. But reason wells within her. There may be no need for a fight. "Es salam alekum, friend," she says in greeting.
Paritosh will prepare his camel for combat and mounts up.
He will not initiate combat until Nura, or someone else wiser than he announces that it's time.
As the giant gets closer, he says, "I am Achmed Al-Zuli the Magnificient and I need you to state your business in my desert."
His feature come fuller into view: a 24-foot-tall,
muscular, ebony-skinned giant, wearing crimson robes and thick golden jewelry.
A steel-bound chest hangs from his belt.
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Fadilah says, "Oh great Achmed Al-Zul the Magnificent, we are simply travelers attempting to cross the desert. Alas, some of our number have been sickened by the needles of some of the cacti, and we are ministering to their wounds before we travel onward."
Zairiah comes to stand beside Fadilah, and she bows in greeting.
Fadilah
The Efreeti smiles and then says, "Tell me more of your travels through Zakhara."
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Frackit will heal himself again
Then move on to Zairiah that morning
Seeing little help he casts another spell
Then another spell on himself
Achmed Al-Zuli says, "I want to have a wager with you. I see you have some magical items and I do as well."
He looks at Fadilah and says, "A staff of the Sea... well I do not want to play such Marid junk. I am willing to put up my treasures against yours in a contest of boast."
He then grabs the big chest on his belt which looks little compared to his size but then he takes out a key and opens it and shows five items: A giant scimitar where the blade shines in the sunlight with an ornate pommel and guard made of ivory and onyx, a chunky ring with a ruby that seems to swirl inside of itself, a set of satin slippers embroidered in gold thread, a shield emblazoned with a comet and some intricately made gauntlets.
He then says, "You can see my wonders and I can explain what they are but once I do we will have a boasting contest as long as your magic item is of respectable value."
Thank you, Frackit.
Zairiah's eyes light up at the thought of being able to get magical items, but she also doesn't want to lose her own.
Betting against a Genie doesn't necessarily seems like a good call, but ... if there is a good chance, hmm... what could they afford to lose, and what does Fadilah think? Is this something they need to do in order to earn passage in this area?
Honorable sir, perhaps you could explain the rules of your boasting game before we choose to engage in it?
The Efreeti says, "One of your group will choose a magic item in my chest that they would like to challenge me for and then put up an item of similar value. Each of us will try to out boast the other in three rounds and whomever adjudicated by me to be the winner will get the item being wagered. As the challenger, you will get to choose what the topic of the contest is examples thereof are: the power of magical items, either seen, owned, or
rumored; treasures, either seen, owned, or rumored;
physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, etc.);
the type and number of enemies defeated;
wondrous feats of magic performed;
skill in romance;
distance traveled and wonders seen
However, I will go first in each round."
Nura confides in her friends. "I am only moderately accomplished in matters of the heart, but I am well-traveled, though not so much as Frackit. I am fairly strong, but I doubt I can match a giant's strength."
The Efreeti continues, "The items that I have in the chest is a Great Scimitar of Sharpness, a Golden Ring of Wizardry, Slippers of Speed, +4 Shield and Gauntlets of Dexterity. Who would like to try?"
"I believe I shall have to pass. I am not a gambling man, and my father insisted that games of chance and luck were almost always rigged. Betting against an efreeti does not seem smart for me."
Fadilah says somewhat reprovingly, "Ach! It is well known that efreeti are genies of their word. Clever, yes, but also keen to abide by rules, and of grace in their conduct."
"I am eager to hear more of Frackit's stories, as they seem so whimsical that I am curious about his faraway lands."
" Oh, Well I do have tales to tell. Both humorous and heart wrenching. What I lack is anything quite as nice as those" The gnome says pointing to the treasure chest.
"Oh I have a Magical Shield, and my workmens leather, finely crafted yes,but also enchanted by a wonderful Lass Named Fatima bin Habib, though it may have been bin Hassim. Though that is another tale to tell. I wonder Lord Achmed Al-Zul what do you know of
This possibly could be ome of rhe most interesting chances to please Thr Sparkling Wit. Should he succeed, if jot he may be sentencing himself to something akin to well a fate worse then death!
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Zairiah says
I would like to challenge for the gloves of Dexterity in your chest. I am willing to wager my magical scimitar. I choose the topic "wonders seen"
The efreeti picks up the Zairiah's sword and looks at it briefly, frowns and says, "This is acceptable but barely."
He stands up and says, "On a crisp morning when I came to the Zakhara for the first time. I climbed to the top of the Land of the Yak Men. The World Pillar mountains. It was snowing and a blizzard was afoot. I met with the Lotus Emperor and the old (as far as Yak-men emperors go) emperor asked me to grant a wish to let him escape his fate as a sacrifice to their wretched gods. I then changed him into a horsefly and as far as I know he lived the rest of his life in the imperial stables until some young Yak-girl took a fly swatter and killed him."
Charisma
Zairiah
Zairiah stands with a smile, bows to the audience, and then says
As I was traveling by boat with Fadilah here and some other companions, we came across a wondrous island that was not on any of our charts. We were in the mood for adventure, and intrigued by this mystery, so we attempted to drop anchor, but the anchor found no purchase. "How mysterious!" we thought as we sailed around and found a place to attach a line.
We debarked on the small island. It was about 150 feet across, and there was normal debris around, broken crates, seaweed, etc. Our steps sounded a bit hollow, but other than that all seemed normal. We searched in different directions, and I went to investigate one of the palm trees. It was a normal tree... growing, thriving, and yet, when I started digging in the soil to investigate, the whole island moved, and part of it started to dip. We ran for our ship, and I loosed our line just in time to save us from overturning. We could then see that the island was actually a gigantic hermit crab, and watch it swim away. One of our companions was lost in the water and barely recovered from that adventure, so it was scary, but also exciting, and wondrous.
He frowns slightly and then he starts the second round.
He says, "Giant Hermit Crabs are definitely interesting. This reminds me of the time I decided to visit the continent known as Maztica. I flew to the New World and climbed one of their gigantic pyramids to speak with their version of a Coatl which is their style of a dragon. They are some really strange creatures. He was disguised as an old hermit. I was able to sus out his disguise and was trying to meet the god Zaltec. He is their god of fire and I decided I needed to meet a fellow fire being to see if we can talk shop. I found out he was trying to destroy the Mazticans and beat him in a quiz contest and he decided to stave off his destruction of Maztica for another century. Zaltec's domain The valley of Nexal spreads out
before you like rotting wares
displayed on a cheap blanket in
the market. Mount Zatal
dominates the horizon, a mighty
cone of cinder and lava, its peak
lost in clouds of its own making.
Those clouds create a deathly
grey pall over the valley, as if it
were still in mourning for the
wonders lost.
The smokes of Zatal are joined
by other smokes, cooking fires
and sacrificial flames rising from
the three surviving cities: Azatl,
Tezat, and Nexal itself. Azatl and
Tezat lie nearly in ruins at the
eastern and western shores of the
great Lake of the Gods.
The Lake of the Gods is a fetid
pool of brown water, choked with
wreckage of the floating gardens
of the capital city of Maztica. A
single road still spans the water
between Tezat and the city; from that vantage point, you can make
out movement along that road.
Nexal stands on an island in the
center of the lake, and much of
the smoke comes from there.
Only the bloody sides of the city’s
tallest pyramid rise above the
black fog. That pyramid is home
to Hoxitl the Beastlord, the hellish
master of Nexal."
Charisma
Zairiah smiles, then stands and says
Interesting that you should talk about the Lake of the Gods, but strange that the water was brown and fetid. That calls to my mind our journey as we were coming back from finding the magic elixir of life, which was of course clear and perfect and magical, and which can heal any malady.
In any case, as we were returning from that adventure, we spotted a young girl and a humanoid bird creature drifting on the sea. Out there, in the middle of nowhere, no one and nothing else around. It was truly guidance from the gods that led us there to that time, in time to save them from an untimely death, as they had been floating for over three days, the only survivors of a shipwreck that had taken the young girl's parents, and knocked her unconscious. Luckily, she was saved by the bird, and they were in turn saved by us. It is always a wonder to see the hand of fate lead you to where you need to go.
So, of course we changed course to take the young girl to her uncle, and exhausted from the events of the day I went down into the ship to sleep. However, wakening to a strange sound, I looked outside and our ship was headed for the rocks. Sleep instantly forgotten, I rushed up on deck only to find Nura and the rest of my friends incapacitated by harpies! I was attacked instantly, but I stayed and endured the damage because I knew that trying to preserve my life at that time would only destroy us all.
I was finally able to wrestle the wheel away from Nura and change our course so we weren't dashed to pieces on the rocks. Once the ship was safe, we were able to take the time to destroy the harpies. There is no way to prove it, but in that destruction we may have avenged the death of the young girl's parents as well... another blessing from fate, leading us down the path that allows us to be used by the higher will of the gods.
After that harrowing event, we finally got back on track and reached Qadib, where we took the shipwrecked pair to the girl's uncle, who welcomed them warmly. The uncle was an expert bronzeworker, and although we asked for no reward, but only information, we were rewarded nevertheless with a possession of his. A jambiya with a blade of the brightest bronze and a wooden handle. The scabbard had intricate designs that seemed to come from a time that may have predated ironworking and the Loregiver himself. Now, that was a wonder, to see such a historic treasure, and one that was certainly not for sale, but only acquired through good deeds, and the fate that we are given. Not to mention the wonder of being part of saving two lives that couldn't have been saved, except we were led to be there at that moment in time.
He then says, " Well, I do not know if I should tell you about this story. I was on another planet and I was told about this evil arch god living deep beneath an abandoned Pyramid. It was said that he was charismatic when he wandered the planes and I had met him in passing in the City of Brass in my youth. So I thought that it might could be an interesting trip to visit him under the pyramid. This strange planet called Mystana or Mystara or some other foolish thing. I travelled there. The people who lived in the underground city or the pyramid proper had been deformed by living underground for too long. They had become disfigured and wore strange bronze or copper masks. These masks were generally of animals and their gods. This arch-god's minions tried on to attack me to no avail as I had teleported swathes of them to desert these people are not as hardy as the Midani who travel Zakhara and mostly perished until they gave me an audience."
He stops a second to inhale and continues, "I voluntarily slid down into Zargon's(which is his name) pit and after pinning his 9 tentacles behind his back until his now oddly deformed octopus self recognised me. We then shared some tea and dined on shakshuka made from the rarest dragon eggs which tastes way better than regular eggs with the picante tomato sauce. He is a fairly friendly monster when you get to know him."
Charisma
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Zairiah is quiet for just a moment trying to get her mind around someone daring or foolhardy enough to eat dragon eggs, and then she says
You seem to kill a lot of people, and eating dragon eggs... wow. That's risking some anger that I wouldn't risk, but then again, dealing with deities is tricky. That reminds me of a story from fairly recently, actually.
As we were traveling in the desert, we came across a settlement where there was a deity in residence. He was performing miracles and asking people to stop worshipping anyone else. Over the course of time, we discovered that the deity was lying to the people, had kidnapped several zin, and had shrunken one girl down to the size of a tiny doll.
So, of course I snuck in, freed the girl and rescued those that had been kidnapped. My friends and I fought to bind and capture this deity, and recently returned from observing the execution. I think it reminded me of your story because this deity turned out to be a false god with stolen power, and the true gods delivered him into our hands to destroy because he was imitating them. Once he was powerless, we got to know him a little. Sad story, and had actually been wearing a cursed gender-changing belt the whole time. It was a werefox who had kidnapped the girl out of a desire to have children, and who had been kidnapped herself.
Monsters of all kinds are often good people underneath, but participating in evil hardens and corrupts that part of them until there is a point where you can't really find it anymore, and they can't go back... not because the world won't give them a chance, but because they themselves are stuck, only being able to think of themselves and the world in one way, and have stopped considering any better options. Perhaps it is a wonder of the negative kind when you find beings trapped in a single perspective and who are unable to think themselves out of it, or consider anyone else's value or viewpoint.
The Efreeti smiles and says, "Well, madame, you have definitely bested me so you may have your gauntlets. Would anyone else like to challenge me for one of my items. As you can see, I am fair and I can tell some of you are eyeballing my shield. How about it?"
Paritosh turns to Frackit, and whispers, "Did he say he was on another planet? What does that even mean?"
" Like The Moon except farther away. Parables of Watchful Protector speak of atrange places and gods unknown to Faerun. Though I doubt The Joker has met any of your fine pantheon of dieties, he has travelled far and wide both in our realm and others." Frackit says looking at the Genie and raising a brow.
" I would be up for it though Im not as Eloquently a storyteller as you. Though until I came to this land genies were more a myth and rarity then.." Points to the Efreeti and the Gin of Fadiliah"..Common place. Thou should you feel gregarious and may haps willing to hear my tale of how a gnome like me came ro be you might just have a tale to relish for sometime. Especially for one who seems now bound by duty ans can not traverse the planes?" Frackit says as he places his shield.down to sit the unfinished work of copper jewelry on it.
The Efreeti says, "Put up a wager and pick a topic and we can boast over it."