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

Game Master Insnare

roll under 14: 1d20 ⇒ 8

Direction Sense (<= 14): 1d20 ⇒ 20

Fadilah says, "I fear that this storm has me turned around. I can't even find signs of our own trail."

Fetch spell: Mount (<= 75%): 1d100 ⇒ 81

"Or do anything else useful, for that matter."

Nura Direction Sense (8): 1d20 ⇒ 17

"I can't make any sense of this desert. Give me the sea any day."

"Worry not, the way is here," says the sheikh, a dark look on his face as he reports the missing blade, and receives the news of the missing camels.

Could I roll to find the fleeing camels?

The camels are dead. One was sucked up by an air elemental and the other died in the storm.

Your group sets out but there is no real concensus of which way to go.

GM Rolls

You continue moving the rest of the day but you get the feeling that due to the sandstorm you have gone off course. You stop for the evening and you set up camp.

GM Rolls

The evening goes by without any significant events and after eating and packing up your camp continue in the general direction you left the day before. Around noon, you come across a dried riverbed or an arroyo.

Can I get some direction sense or a desert survival

Direction Sense (<= 14): 1d20 ⇒ 18

Fadilah pauses at the arroyo and looks frustrated. She turns in a circle and whispers something to her gen, which flits off.

Fetch spell: Due north (<= 55%): 1d100 ⇒ 44
Fetch spell time: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6 rounds

A few minutes later, the gen returns, and Fadilah casts a quick spell.

"North is that way," she proclaims.

"But we need to not only get back on track, but figure out a way to acquire more food and water before we die in the desert."

I think in this case it would be True South, either way. Water should not be a problem with the item that Zairiah got from the Padisha. If someone wants to go hunting, feel free.

Fadilah

Frackit will use some time to cast cure light wounds on Nura and Zairiah

Nura CLW: 1d8 ⇒ 2
Zairiah CLW: 1d8 ⇒ 4

Fadilah checks the map against her spell's unerring sense of direction and then says, "This arroyo heads south toward Ganam. So we should be able to just follow it for now, when we resume traveling."

Thank you Frackit, and thank you for sorting out the confusion, Fadilah. I am hoping that Iyda's village can sell us some food, and hopefully camels, so that we can continue our journey.

If anyone needs to refill their water containers, Zairiah will pull out her portable spring and let it flow until everyone is refilled and the camels are watered.

Nura thanks Frackit and treks along in sullen silence. still smarting from her poor performance and loss of Jimar to the sandstorm.

The party starts following the arroyo according to Fadilah's recommendation.

GM Rolls

The party continues the rest of the afternoon and make camp in the evening.

GM Rolls

The party goes to bed and break into their guard duty shifts.

Frackit

Frackit holds up a hand and then heads over and wakes Ibn. As he sees the man coming too, he points to the pair before heading to the others waking up Fadilah, Peritosh, Zariah, and Nura, and then waiting.

Having been awakened, Zairiah is suspicious. Border control of what nation, and what would be considered contraband? She tries to remember if there is some legitimate force down here that they haven't encountered yet.

Local History (with proficiency) Charisma 16: 1d20 ⇒ 6

The sheikh rouses upon Frackit's touch, and unbinds his turban to reveal his eyes. The man stands and approaches the humanoid, hands open and with a gentle smile says, "Greetings, stranger. How may we help thee?"

I will roll a reaction roll if necessary to improve attitude and possibly make the strangers friendly. My station is also 10, so that might help too.

Nura is immediately suspicious and remains silent, keeping her scimitar at her side, for now.

Zairiah

The leader of the two stands at over 10 feet tall and says while looking at the camels and their satchels, "The Caliph Grandfather does not like
contraband coming through his lands."

The big two humanoids hold their hands upside down as if they are holding a change purse and jingling it.

Do we know what things might be contraband and whether we have any of it? If that last roll doesn't work, what else should I roll to know that?

Give me a Wisdom check

Wisdom (13): 1d20 ⇒ 12

Zairiah

Zairiah isn't sure whether a paladin is the right person to handle this, but since the sheik has already greeted the strangers, she moves up beside him and softly offers some advice:

They are likely looking for the equivalent of a bribe. If you offer them something that is worth at least a gold for each of them, they should be satisfied... I definitely wouldn't offer money or *call* it a bribe though. Perhaps a gift for the Caliph, or a token with respect in case we have offended inadvertently... so that we don't have to unpack everything?

Then she fades back with the others.

"A gift we can do," he murmurs back. "A silverware chalice or two can work, should ye consent to it."

Zairiah nods.

"Gods forbid we carry contraband," Ibn Taaib smiles to the giant strangers, and retrieves one of the silver goblets and offers it to them after wrapping it in cloth, saying. "Truly, however, the sight of thee has gladdened us. Please accept this gesture."

Frackit watches as he wonders what these giants are. If need be he was looking at how to fight them. Gnomes weren't as well versed in fighting against giants and giant kin as dwarves, but he could manage.

Frackit moved so he had his sling ready. His SHield now resting beside as he palms a ball bearing. He would drop the thing into the cup and ready to whirl and loose the sling if he needed.

The giant humanoid says, "Well, I don't think it fair to leave my colleague empty handed. Once that proceeds we shall leave you be."

The other one looks at Frackit his right hand around his scabbard

Oh, of course. Matching goblets for you both.

Zairiah takes another silver goblet and hands it to the other giant enforcer.

The Loregiver be with thee on thy travels.

And the leader says, "And upon ye as well! Have a good evening!"

With that they leave amicably.

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves, retconally, this will be the fourth day since you left Al-Anwahr

You count that you have enough rations to last four days more in the desert but the next day you awaken and you continue to follow the arroyo in a southerly approach. About two hours after you break camp, you notice that the inside of the arroyo is wetter and not too long after that it becomes a brook and then a stream with some shrubs growing along the streambed. Around noon off in the distance you see the outlines of a settlement.

Iyda asks to see Fadilah and says, "Oh wondrous Shai'ra may you grant me the wish of dispelling this enchantment of smallness up on me? I feel as though my family and the mosque of Hajama won't be as afraid of me if I am normal sized."

"Let me see what I can do. Just a moment."

Fadilah takes the opportunity to consult with the party.

"What do you think? I can probably fetch a spell to remove the enchantment on Iyda, but do you all feel like we should do so?"

Ibn Taaib bids the strangers farewell, before turning to his allies.
"Great love I have to gracious gifts, not much to veiled bribes," he says mutedly as he sits back down.
The sheikh uses his Lay on Hands to restore another 8 hp to Zairiah, topping off her hp.

"Don't think of it as a bribe," Nura offers. "Think of it as courtly politics."

" I think that's better than the alternative" Frackit says putting his weapons back into place.

The man smiles grimly.
"Ah...indeed. Things are simpler out here in the desert, my dear," the sheikh says in his deep voice, seeing the creek. In response to Fadilah's question, the sheikh withholds direct counsel, but says, "I believe in thy judgment, young Sha'irah. If thy aim is just and good, thou shalt know the path to it."

Zairiah thanks the sheik for the healing.

_____

Responding to Fadilah, Zairiah says

I think it is an obvious truth that we should restore her to her correct size. I don't mean to ignore your concerns however... what argument would there be against it? Do you believe her to be complicit with the werefox or something similar?

Fadilah

Responding to Fadilah, Zairiah says

I think it is an obvious truth that we should restore her to her correct size. I don't mean to ignore your concerns however... what argument would there be against it? Do you believe her to be complicit with the werefox or something similar?

"I have no argument against it, but it seemed wise to me to speak with the entirety of the group in case someone else had thought of something."

Fetch spell: dispel magic (<= 55%): 1d100 ⇒ 69
Fetch spell: dispel magic retry (<= 45%): 1d100 ⇒ 25

Fetch spell time (retry): 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7 turns

It is a grueling wait of over an hour for Fadilah's gen to fetch a dispel magic spell, after an initial failure. Finally, Fadilah prepares the team away from the magic so that it won't disrupt any of their magical trinkets, and casts the spell upon Iyda.

Dispel magic check: 1d20 ⇒ 8 -> Dispels anything by up to a 2nd-level caster. So, no.

Iyda says, "Shai'ra you tried your best. Hopefully things go well."

The party makes its way further south towards the settlement off in the distance and off in the distance you can see the caravanserai located on the western side of town, you after an hour later move to go through the main portion of the town wall to be able to cross the river. You are greeted by the proprietor of the caravanserai and he says, "By the Loregiver, you came from the north, most of the caravans come from Halwa or Hiyal. Welcome to Trustworthy Timur's Tremendous Camelry Supperstore! It looks as though you might need some great camels."

Zairiah, thinking that anyone who has to put the word trustworthy in the title of their business probably isn't, looks around to see if this is the only place to get camels.

Fetch spell: Mount (<= 75%): 1d100 ⇒ 55

Fadilah conjures a camel and says, "Actually, I think we have matters in-hand."

Trustworthy Timur's eye grow wide and he ashes his cigar on the ground and says, "Oh, Shai'ra the wondrous Mount spell. The Djinn must smile upon you with favor. But a real camel does not disappear after a few hours. A dromedary is a real companion. You also need to be careful what you put on it or who is riding it. Feel free to store your camels in my caravanserai, 2 sp per camel per day."

"Um, what is this place? and Why is Fadilah praised so much for being a Wizard? I mean is it her little familiar? I know she doesn't use a book like I have to for illusions? Wait are all the Wizards here different?" Frackit stops and then sighs. This land would take some time to get used too.

Not seeing any other source of camels farther in, Zairiah sighs and starts looking around for some good ones.

Presuming that she knows something about camels since she has expertise in riding them and must have noticed something about which ones are good to ride and which not.

If she can find some good ones, then she attempts to haggle:

Haggling (with proficiency, Wisdom 13): 1d20 ⇒ 12

"Um, what is this place? and Why is Fadilah praised so much for being a Wizard? I mean is it her little familiar? I know she doesn't use a book like I have to for illusions? Wait are all the Wizards here different?"

"Sorcery this far south is differs from northern sorcery," Ibn Taaib says slowly. "The way our society views sorcery is closer to how elves view it; to be in the good graces of the Djinn is (in a rough analogy) to be closer to the divine. Her gen is as an emissary, who could fetch her the spells she needs, but might be lost or fail in the search depending on the strength and rarity of the spell."

Shairs are well respected sorcerers who seem to bend the wills of the Geniekind to their whim people are in awe. Elementalists are more feared. Also, in this game when there is a caravanserai, I have kind of taken this gag from a game I played when I was in intermediate school.The desert camel salesman.

Zairiah finds three stout camels that she is able to get 25% off deal from Trustworthy Timur.

I know these things, just Frackit is a Fish out of water. He is trying to learn. As for the Elementalist part, he would know that from his interaction with the people of the Aurunoch.

I do love the idea of a used car salesman. I know Little Keep on the Borderlands for Hackmaster 4e has a crazy salesman who is like the worst businessman ever. Fun to interact with though, you never know what you will find!!!

" So her familiar gets her spells. Okay. But why put an inn all the way out here in the desert? Granted this is only the second desert I have ever been in." Frackit says as he is still leery at the camels.

" This land is strange. But I must learn about it if I am to dwell here for a time" Frackit says stretching, and letting his body get some relaxation.

"Any place to rest up and eat?

This is a town of a couple hundred people. The caravanserai is just on the side of town where most traffic goes through.

Iyda says, "Should we go visit my family or drop Uday off at the magistrate's office?"

Zairiah finishes up the purchase of three camels, and then asks Iyda which one she wants to do first.

Iyda says, "I would love to see my family first."

She leads the group while sitting on Zairiah's shoulder. She takes you through the center of town and you make your way her home which is a courtyard house which has a garden with three apricot trees growing on the inside. There are four young children playing amongst the trees. Being watched by an older woman wearing over her lozim, known as a kuylak which is fully sleeved and fall to below the knees. The pattern is green and white wearing a brocaded headdress of green and white with pearls.

Iyda gets excited and says, "Buvim!!!!"

The older lady looks up at Zairiah a bit perplexed expecting her grandchild but a women she does not know but then she sees Iyda and says, "Child, what has happened to you?"