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

Game Master Insnare

Your post came off as you were really hungry so you just ate the contents.

Chipluck

"I am indeed a caster of arcane magic, but I do not command these Gen. My knowledge of the arcane is learned in rote memorizations of formula and..." Orven continues to explain how magic is learned in his tradition, but it's like listening to a smug, dry lecturer who assumes that everyone is as fascinated by what he studies as he is.

Fadi's gen looks at Orvan shakes his head and say, "Seems like a waste of time."

He then continues, "When my mistress requires something, I poof into the Great Padishate of the Marid and I gather the elemental pieces that make up power."

GM was that 150 total, or 100+100+400=600 total? Also heads up travelling for the next few days.

Chipluck gives an honest estimate of the pearls' value to the others.

Nabila stares out at the sea, smiling and imagining the mermaid swimming free and with grace into the depths. She only half pays attention to the others as they make small talk and introduce themselves in calmer surroundings.

"Blessed people," she whispers under her breath. She finally turns to face the others. "Did anyone else find those bones down there especially...curious? Perhaps a little troubling?"

the latter

"A little frightening," says Fadi to Nabila.

The Gen says, "Mistress, I think the old lady was eating vermin. Non planar beings must eat, no?"

perhaps in way of thanks for mercy we might send some real food down to her doorstep? Maudril says solemnly

Now that the "mermaid" has swum off, you make your way back to or into the city of Muluk. Where would you like to go?

Chipluck denies any share of the wealth, instead trying to think of a person in Muluk who is both wise and kind, and might have the patience to explain recent happenings...

Local: 1d20 ⇒ 7

"...eh...excuse me but I know of someone who might be willing to help us make sense of things we've seen below."

You start walking to the location in the city where Chipluck's contact is supposed to be.

YOU then hear a cultured, pleasant voice calling out, "Warriors, sorcerers, those who seek The Caravan adventure: if you are of good character, your services are sought! Travel by sea and sand, receive fine wages, and be in service to those who serve the Grand Caliph! Come now and speak with me, for the available places are almost filled!"

Nura looks to her new companions. "I'm always up for adventure. Shall we?"

Chip was confident his earlier incident with the jewelry theft would blow over, after all he was just one other gritty faced slug of low station in the gutters of Muluk. Still, his new companions were a kind and capable sort, and why not let the heat chill with a free ride on the Caravan?

"Oh, surely they would never take a poor old beggar into their fold...perhaps if I was introduced as your butler?" he mentions to Orven.

The man walks over to you and sees you have shown interest, "Delightful, it looks as though your groups seems to be interested in the mission. Do you have any questions?"

"What does it pay?" Nura asks, being very upfront.

"Our true reward from the Great Gods for rescuing a friend!" laughs Nabila. "Travel to far off lands, excitement and adventure! What an amazing world! Pay? Nothing pays as well as a new experience, my friend." She winks at Nura.

oh for great Najm! Can you not stay out of trouble priestess? Maudril asks incredulously.

"Trouble? With these companions? With YOU? No, my burly friend, there will be no trouble!"

It isn't jinxing myself since it's a guarantee we will have trouble anyway, lol

"Before we do anything else, we'll need to sort you out, although I must say that you are a sight cleaner than when I found you!"

Turning to the man, Orven says "What sort of mission is this again exactly, and what specifically does it entail?"

The man says, "My name is Ruan al-Hiyali. You must understand that Hiyal is sending a shipment of weapons to
Qudra and needs caravan guards, truth be told that the
guards rarely have anything to do but are paid well and
get to see Qudra, a marvel in itself for its great walls
and the Mosque of Blood. You get a boat ride and a desert march, it shall be grand and by the way the chef is excellent or so I have been told."

Nura shrugs. "Adventure and excitement... I'm in."

"And what, pray tell, is the salaciously titled Mosk of Blood?"

The man says, "Effendi, the Mosque of Blood is the largest mosque in all of Zakhara and is a temple to the god of war, Vataqatal. Would 45 dinars and one weapon per capita suffice?"

He continues, "Vataqatal is the God of War in the Land of Fate good outlander."

Chip shrugs, ready as ever. He could loot Qudra clean and bounce back to Muluk a new man.

The man says, "It seems as such we have an accord."

The group of you get surrounded by a purple smoke and you feel all a little dizzy as you feel your bodies pushed. Within half a second you are on the ground somewhere else and the man says, "I have brought you to the caravan. Come and follow me and meet the caravan leader."

You feel as though you are no longer in Muluk.

"Interesting. A smoke-based translocation spell of some variety."

Nabila doubles over with her mouth open, gagging sounds come uncontrollably from her throat. Fortunately she keeps her breakfast down, tho it is touch and go for a moment.

"Wha-oh, Gods! Urp. What just...trans-what? Okay, breathe Nabila, breathe!" she remains bent over with her hands on her knees taking ragged breaths. Over time her breathing smooths out, finally slowing to a normal rate.

"Where are we?" she asks, finally lifting her head to observe her surroundings.

The man laughs and says, "You are in Hiyal. This is where work is on offer. The Land of Fate is there for those who wish to play with fate. Priestess Nabila, feel free to breathe... Ha, Ha, Ha... What happens to a Sultan when a scorpion stings him? Have you heard of the bone throwers in the sky? Ha... No time to waste te hee...."

Fadilah seems discomfited by the transition, but she calms when she notes that her gen is still with her.

"If... if you can transport people this quickly, why do you even need a caravan?" she asks politely.

"I can explain that!" offers Orvan, clearly excited by a form of magic he has never seen before.

"To dumb it down as best I can, transporting a single or small group of people is easy. You are displacing air when you arrive (assuming there were no variables that you left unaccounted for in your destination matrix), but with each additional body or equivalant weight capacity, your variables increase. Add in a Horse, for example, and you have to do double the calculations to land in a precise area. Add in several wagons full of esoterica, and it gets exponentally harder; and translocation is not something that you want to mess up on, unless the idea of being trapped inside a rock for the remainder of your existance is of interest to you, in which case, bang on."

Fadilah's eyes glaze over slightly.

Nabila cocks her head to the side. "Huh. I think you could have 'dumbed it down' more," she laughs before turning to the others. "He is saying it would be like putting too many people or things on a boat. Maybe you get there, but you are much more likely to sink and drown."

Nura cocks an eyebrow, clearly confused by Orven's magibabble, but when Nabila clarifies, she nods in semi-understanding. Her stomach still a bit sour from the experience, she sets about seeing the layout of the caravan.

Assuming my local proficiency might have some basic geography...looks like about 300 miles but theres some trade routes

Incredulous "...Hiyal?! You mean we have crossed the Furrowed Mountains and are but a light step into the high desert of Zakhara?" and after listening to Orven's explanations "Then let us hope this man's abacus is not misplaced or sundered..."

The man says, "We can discuss the finer points of the elements and how they enable sorcery... or you can meet your new chief."

He then brings you to see a wrinkled older Halfling woman and she says, "Ruan, what have you brought me? Are these folks up to snuff?"

Chip tries to just look humble while scanning for valuables. How much are these guys worth, I wonder??

Appraisal: 1d20 ⇒ 2

Chip

Chip bows his head somewhat, his station being below even that of the slave-warriors, trained from birth. He had to step carefully around their hierarchy... To Orven "Ajami, these mamluk are a slave warrior trained from a very young age...our esteemed host here must surely be their owner and of course deserves a formal introduction."

His stomach rumbles audibly, its previous contents must've been left out of the teleportation spell's calculation...or perhaps he swallowed something awkward.

After the magical transportation Maudril stands for a second as if frozen not knowing what happened his body a bit in shock and then the world pops back in and he stumbles a bit and growls catching himself his hand on the hilt of his blade until he knows all is well.

Ruan answers, "They should be an interesting addition to your guard detail."

Then he turns to you and says, "Introduce yourselves."

Nabila steps firmly forward. She throws her hair back from her shoulder and sticks her chin slightly up. "I am Nabila Al-Qut Min Najm." She holds the pose for a moment before gracefully stepping back among her friends with a half-grinned smirk.

"Nura Hamdani, at your service. Sailor and adventurer."

Maudril Sandcaster, Faris of Najm and also it seems of the caravan Maudril says with a toothy grin looking around a bit accessing the caravan after speaking.

"Fadilah al-Qadib, scholar and traveler."

Refusing to speak until it is awkward enough that it seems everyone is waiting on him, he drops to his knees lowering his head "I am nothing of consequence...but those of Muluk were kind enough to give me the name of Chipluck, after the broken pottery dishes I might use to collect the days bread..."

The halfling woman says, "Yeah, alright... take a bath go report to the third cohort. Talk to Nudar Abd Al min. She should be over to the left somewheres."

Was she being serious, is there a place to bathe here? I was imagining a caravan line for some reason