"There has to be some mechanism... And the only thing I'm seein' around here are crypts, so they might be related?" - Aggrammar comments to the others - "Perhaps some o'the names in the crypts have something to do with Shaddad, or something else"
Okay, I didn't see anything like that when I was looting, but I'm game for a puzzle. What are the names? Do you see anything else unique about them or any levers or buttons?
She says all of this while still chipping away.
Then she stops, Aggrammar's words triggering a thought.
Okay, now, wait... I did get gold rings from the crypts. Do you guys see anyplace they would go, or... maybe we just have to wear them?
She takes a break from her digging to put one on, and offers one to everyone else if they want to try.
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Zairiah leans on the sandstone wall as she turns to Agrammar to say, "Okay, now, wait... I did get gold rings from the crypts. Do you guys see anyplace they would go, or... maybe we just have to wear them?"
She then knocks in a Zairiah sized hole in the sandstone which has become seriously brittle in the centuries nay millennia, since lord Shaddad traipsed around this area.
You discover a square burial
chamber. In its center, the mummified corpse of the
sheikh sits proudly on a stone throne draped in
embroidered cloth of gold. The corpse itself
wears a heavy gold crown, a ruby ring, and tattered red brocade robes. What you can only assume is the Cyclone of the Four Quarters rests in a gold sheath on the dead mans lap, gripped by withered hands.
Zairiah stumbles, surprised that the wall gave way so easily.
Her first instinct is to start looting, but something in the back of her mind warns her to wait, and she says.
Uh, can anyone tell if this guy is all the way dead or not?
Getting no response, Zairiah impatiently reaches for the crown.
"I'm no ghul lord, but... don't cadavers like that tend to get up when you steal their treasures?"
Hearing Fadilah's warning, Zairiah stops, her hand stopping short of touching the crown.
Maybe. So... what do we do? Stab it first? Anyone have a wooden stake? ... Or is that the wrong thing?
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"Let's see what else we can spot," says Fadilah. She squeezes in through the tiny hole and then dusts herself off. Stepping close to the decrepit corpse, she looks for any other writing, markings, notations, or identifying marks.
As Fadilah moves through the hole in the wall, the sword on the corpse's lap starts thrumming and vibrating violently in its scabbard.
Fadilah's gen runs and hides by her ankle and says, "That blade scares me."
The noise seems to have awakened the spirit of
Shaddad and animates his remains. His eyes glow with
anger as he whisks Cyclone out of its golden sheath.
Round 1
Initiative Party , Shaddad
Party
Startled by the humming of the sword, Zairiah grabs for it...
OR
Startled by the humming of the sword, Zairiah jumps back, drawing her bow.
"Everythin' that is stuck in a crypt is usually there fer a reason. Usually eternal rest. Sometimes unrest" - Aggrammar replied with a grunt - "If we be disturbin' it, we gotta be ready fer them not to like it..."
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Zairiah sees the blade animate as Fadi's gen crosses the threshhold and she grabs the pommel of the blade, drawing it above her head, stepping back quickly, successfully denying Shaddad of his blade.
Nura and Fadilah
Agrammar casts flame blade.
Fadilah and Nura
Fadilah says to her gen, "Try to find me a halt undead spell. At the very least you'll be gone long enough to be safe for a while!"
She shrinks back from the fight, keeping her staff up for defense.
turns (80 minutes)
Fadi's gen says, "Yes mistress, the mummy's sword must be dealt with." as it vanishes.
Nura moves towards the mummy and draws Jimar the Clean from its scabbard and attacks Shaddad critical damage doing taking a large piece out of the mummy.
d20 roll
Shaddad slowly clenches his fingers around where his sword should be and stands up, says "Who has foolishly stolen the Cyclone of the Four Quarters from me? Prepare to be doomed!"
He then attacks Nura hit for damage
Round 2
Party , Mummy
He attacks Nura again miss
GM Rolls
Agrammar sees the Mummy in its entirety and is parylyzed with fright for the next two rounds.
Party
Zairiah figured she might be doomed, as the mummy said, but if so, she wasn't dead yet, so she would see if the sword worked for her. She moved up to support Nura, moving to flank if possible.
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First round action:
He pulls out his Zither and casts Attract Evil Eye
Shaddad save vs Spell failing.
Second Round Action attack with short sword hit
Nura and Fadilah
Nura continues to attack Shaddad critical damage doing
Round 3
Initiative Party , Shaddad
He attacks Nura again misses
Party
Zairiah gets a better grip on the sword and swings again.
Fadilah
against genies), bears its name inscribed in
runes along the flat of the blade. Unlike modern
swords of this type, Cyclone of the Four Quarters
inflicts double damage (including magical and
Strength bonuses) against common efreet, djinn,
dao, marids, noble genies, tasked genies-even
gens. The sword does not affect the jann, who do
not dwell in the four quarters of the elemental
planes. Finally, the blade, unsheathed, makes its
wielder immune to magical attacks of all genies.
The scimitar, though not sentient, is sensitive
to the presence of genies. When one approaches
within 60 feet, the scimitar thrums and vibrates
violently in its scabbard (if sheathed) or howls and
glows with bright green fire (if brandished).
During the few decades Shaddad wielded
Cyclone, it gained a nasty reputation. As genies
immediately sense and recognize the blade, one
cannot surprise them with it. Lesser beings, such as
gens and minor tasked genies, flee in terror from
the scimitar; greater genies either display
undisguised hostility (and attack) or seek to
escape, depending upon their morale checks. It is also well known that all Geniekind despise the sword. Unless your group decides to hand the sword to a noble Genie or leave it here there may be problems with Geniekind.
Nura
Aggrammar shivers in his pants.
Nura continues her attack doing
Silverthroat attacks with short sword miss
Round 4
Initiative Party Shaddad
Party
Zairiah attacks again .
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Fadilah calls out, "The sword, Zairiah, it's magical, keep trying!"
Agrammar and Nura
Nura continues to attack Shaddad hit doing
Aggrammar no, no longer being afraid, attacks with his flame blade hit doing damage
Silverthroat attacks with short sword hit doing
Zairiah's attack misses.
The combination of their attack destroys Shaddad, who says as he redies, "Finally, I can rest!"
Combat Over
Zairiah takes the sheath from the mummy and wraps it around her waist, sheathing the sword, and then proceeds as she had started, looting the place.
Fadilah stays back and squeezes her way out to the initial antechamber, rather surprised at the team's fortune. After loitering for a bit she looks about for any way to start a small campfire to help keep cozy in the dim crypt (since her continual light gives off no warmth).
Zairiah finds 12 golden rings with a scimitar embossed on them off the crypts. On Shaddad's mummified corpse you find an embroidered cloth of gold, heavy gold crown, a ruby ring of
protection, and tattered red brocade robes.
The gen comes back and says, "I was unsuccessful, mistress."
When the gen comes back the sword in Zairiah's scabbard thrums and vibrates violently.
The gen says, "Mistress, That sword needs to be destroyed. It is blasphemy against all geniekind and is cursed."
How is it cursed? asks Zairiah, letting the sword thrum away as she collects the loot.
Fadilah glances down at her gen, then back to Zairiah.
"This is a bit of a thorny problem."
She sighs and says, "The sword was made out of a burning desire for vengeance—to give a mere human the ability to stand up against mistreatment by genie-kind. Or so the story goes. But genies are... sensitive to such things. It is... frightening to them, for its history, for what it represents, for what it could do."
"I don't have the power to make decisions for you, but I have made certain commitments with genie-kind. They answer and respect me only because I respect them in turn, which means that I do not traffic in prison-bottles or genie-slaying-weapons. I would only touch or come near that weapon under duress," she explains.
Okay, I can see that... but we met a really evil genie recently and if this could help us prevent retaliation, I am not sure it is a good idea to give it up. I would never use it against a good genie, just like I would never use it against a good human. ... I'm willing to discuss it, but I still want to know how it is cursed.
The gen says, "Mistress may I address your friend?"
Assuming it receives permission from Fadilah, the gen addresses Zairiah, "Exalted Zairiah, friend of Ayyan, companion of Sha'ira Fadilah al-Qadib et al, co-slayer of Shaddad son of Adad. Though you may find it hard to believe, the genies of Zakhara, mild though
we may be in these enlightened times-were quite arrogant when the
world was young. It was only their right, after all.
And in those long-ago days, mankind actually presumed to question the actions
of the genies! The four most powerful elemental mages from the Al-Badia tribes of
the High Desert gathered to forge a weapon against these marauding genies.
(Indeed, you are right to be appalled at the audacity of these humans, O wise
adventurers!) Binding together fire, wind, sea, and air, these wizards enchanted a
scimitar, Cyclone of the Four Quarters, with the power to harm genies from any
elemental province. The four entrusted the wicked blade to an unworthy sheikh
known as Shaddad and departed to a distant land.
Armed with this enchanted scimitar, Shaddad sought out the noble genies in the
lonely places of the desert: the djinn on the mountaintops, the dao in the dark caves, the
marids in the secluded oases: even the efreet in the heat of the anvils! Brandishing his
blade, in a voice foolishly devoid of fear, the human ruler ordered the mighty genies to
cease their. . .excursions against the Al-Badia. He even dared challenge them to single
combat if they refused! The noble genies were rightfully amused by this mortal's
impertinence. As their response, the djinn enveloped him in a whirlwind; the dao
enclosed him in a block of stone; the marids engulfed him in a waterspout; and the efreet
enfolded him grandly in a pillar of flame. But Cyclone of the Four Quarters protected
Shaddad from the genies' attacks. To their amazement, the Al-Badia champion stepped
through their obstacles utterly unharmed. (I, too, fail to comprehend such a thing.)
Shaddad's continued resistance only enflamed the genies further. The noble genies
drew their towering blades of steel and launched attack after attack at the human.
But, as the sheikh parried all their blows with Cyclone of the Four Quarters and
riposted with painful accuracy, their arrogance turned to fear, I am ashamed to say.
Surrendering to this "Terror," they promised the miserable human countless wishes
if only he would spare their lives. Shaddad accepted, demanding that the genies restrict
themselves and their kin to the uninhabited wilderness, away from the migration paths
of the Al-Badia. The genies too hastily agreed, and the sheikh returned to his
people unharmed! He lived out his puny days in peace, until the Sunderer of
Societies, the Destroyer of Delights, came upon him, none too soon. The Cyclone of the Four Quarters is far too dangerous to be allowed out in circulation, you may only choose to use it against the evil of the geniekind but Shaddad was cursed and mummified and buried until this freak storm revealed his location to our group. If you let me take this weapon to the Padisha, you shall be greatly rewarded."
So the curse you spoke of... is it cursed in that it horrifyingly resists the will of geniekind, which you just cannot imagine, or is there an actual curse on the weapon?
What great rewards are we talking about here?
The little water gen says, "It is cursed for that reason, yes and the fact that wielder of the blade will be marked as "The Terror" and shunned by all geniekind, be they good or evil or somewhere in between, same with their companions. The Great Padisha has a reputation of being very generous to those who do her favors. What she would grant you, I am not sure but I can bring her the sword and she will grant you treasures exceeding its value."