As this is the Grand Bazar of the City of Brass, there is nothing that can't be found and bought for the right price. Half of it outright appalling to those of righteous disposition. The lure of power for wealth or wealth for power pulls strong at the conviction of those deeming themself good. And many have fallen and lost riches, power or even themself when they thought they'd got the chance of their life, went all in and lost.
"Seems we are only going to find vile stuff here." Ohrmizd rugs his nose at the presence of tomes and artifacts of abomination nature "The mere thought almost makes me vomit, but do you want us to pick one of these undead grimoriums, Rayhan? It is always convenient to know more about what you have to fight"
"I cannot see anything good in nature we are going to find for you here otherwise"
Ohrmizd will also buy any item Hazreem or Heshan want to ask for.
After some thought, Heshan had his answer on what he wanted. "Hmm, I would like to see if there is a headband of alluring charisma +4 as well as Page of Spell Knowledge at 5th level."
After the main purchases are done, Ohrmizd will look for a unique present to Haleen "Do you have a brass amulet? Something distinctive of the City of Brass that would do for a wild lover?"
"Oh, and where does someone get entertainment here in the Grand Bazaar?"
"Some Jewelery made of living brass? It has the look of gold and platinum, but it won't melt in the heat of love." The merchant shows you some beautifully worked pieces, that would make a queen go green with envy. It also would make the queen's treasurer sick to have to pay that.
"What kind of entertainment are you looking for? There are spectacular fights, famous shows, or more private entertainment?"
"You got my interest. Can you make a collar of that?" Ohrmizd calls looking at the offered living brass.
"We have had enough of fights. Something more calm would be good." the Keleshite then whispers into the ear "Can we have some of this private show for my slave there. He would have good to relax a bit."
"Of course if that wild love isn't that high a priority, we also have the budget versions of living brass jewelery."
The merchant puts away the show off piece and presents something more reasonable. Budget means you still get a something well worked that catches the eye and the price is still a solid thousand gold. A filigrane triangular net which has a fire etched into it, that seems to be alive when the viewing angle changes. And a thin thread woven of dozens of hair thick strands to put that around the neck.
"For humans? I don't know. The private entertainments I'm aware of are definitely too hot for those."
Ohrmizd is happy to pay the thousand golds for the exceptional jewelry "A good deal. Might the flames pay you with a warm life" and he stashes back the art piece on his bag with no regret.
When it comes to the entertainment he whispers back at the interlocutor "Well, let's leave that for the moment. We do not wish for any of my friends to end scalded by the flames of the Brass City's passion, eh?"
And with that, the Kheleshite will express his readiness to move on "I think we are ready now to move back to our plane. Addressing to the genies, can you help us move back to Katapesh my good friends?"
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When everyone is ready and back at a kind of private place, Shathazared and Iavesk argue about who will do the favor. Both have heard of Katapesh and seem to feel capable if bringing you there. Finally an agreement is found where one casts, but both come along.
You appear in a large city inhabited mostly by humans on the coast of the sea, and the climate seems right too. But it is not Katapesh.
Hazreem peers about him, wondering just how much Katapesh has changed since his imprisonment. As he glances around him the sense of unfamiliarity grows until he shakes his head, "I do not think we are in Katapesh...the question is, where are we?"
"Well, this doesn't look like Katapesh to me..."
Omari asks a passerby "What city is this?"
2 rank +3 trained
It looked grand . It looked like it was part of the desert. But Heshan's smile waned a bit as the realization dawned on him. "Well... at least we are in the right plane... I think."
He would see if he himself could find someone who could tell them where they are.
Never having attended to a real school or traveled beyond Katapesh's borders, Ohrmizd's knowledge of geography was lacking at the most "Well, I cannot say where are we, but I know my city, and this is not it"
The Kheleshite gives the halt to the first man he can spot "Hello good lad? Can you tell me what year it is? Is this Golarion?"
The people are not too enthusiastic when approached by some dirty, heavily armed guys, but it's not hard to find someone who still answers the question. You ended up on the right plane in the neighboring country of Kakishon - Nex and the capitol thereof.
"It seems we are not far away from Katapesh" Ohrmizd sighs relieved "Do you think you can teleport us back to Kelmerane, Heshan? Or other place familiar to you"
When it becomes clear the group cannot teleport ensemble, the Kheleshite nods "Maybe it is time to part ways then. It has been an honor to free you from the palace" he gives farewells to the genies "You are free now and it would be too much to ask you to risk your lives in our wars against Javhul"
"I may be able to bring in most of us, but the larger creatures may be a problem," Heshan said. "If Hazreen and the deer get themselves smaller, I could be able to get all of us back in one jump."
"Before we leave, let's ask around a bit first. I'd like to know how long we've been gone, and at least the public version of what happened to Katapesh when Javhul and company broke free..."
"I can shape into something smaller, if necessary." Hazreem chimes in, "But I agree it would be wise to see what has happened in our absence. Spending a day or two here should not make a difference."
"Shaping into smaller things is a smart move. Let's do it. I doubt we can find information about what is going on, unless it has put the whole region into war or something. We can find out once we are in Kelmerane." Ohrmizd adjusts his belt "It might make a difference or not. But I yearn to know what has happened. Let's just jump now if we can"
No one you ask has heard anything spectacular from Katapesh or about a Jhavhul.
"I don't like this. We should be on our way now. I am ready to teleport whenever you are."
Omari calls Khedron to him, and uses Erastil's power to transform him into a desert hawk. Khedron then takes a perch on Omari's shoulder...
"Wonderful." Heshan clasped his hands as he went to count the remaining people... and came across a new problem. "Rayhan... right." He placed a finger to his chin. "Perhaps we can buy a couple of scrolls of Reduce Person in order for everyone to fit," he suggested.
"We could buy a scroll for teleportation to make sure we arrive together. I can cast it from the paper. Or Heshsan takes some roundtrips, if a delay is no issue. I would suggest to go to a place in Katapesh that is not directly my house. As that would be where Jhavhul should have emerged from the scroll of Kakishon."
"Wait, are we going to Katapesh or Kelmerane? Ohrmizd was saying Kelmerane, and you're saying Katapesh. Could you teleport to Kelmerane? I don't think you've ever been there..."
"No, that probably wouldn't work. But I'd rather go to Katapesh anyway, to see what has become of my home. If you go directly to Kelmarane, then our ways will part here already."
"While my home is...WAS Kelmarane," Hazreem chimes in, "I am not opposed to travelling to Katapesh first."
"If I understand the magic properly, Heshan needs to be familiar with the destination. The more the better. Plus we have to make sure the Princess and Garavel are ok" and Haleen and Rombard... "that is why I proposed Kelmerane."
"The only place Heshan is familiar in Katapesh is probably your house Rayhan, for we stayed there the whole time, for fear the scroll could be discovered otherwise." Ohrmizd remembers about the decisions taken at that time.
"Anyway, if Hazreem can turn into a small shape, he and the small Khedron" he smiles to the now hawk "will leave a spot for Rayhan, so we can all depart in a single trip"
"Katapesh it is, then." He nodded in acknowledgement to Ohrmizd as to how teleportation works. With everything in order, he performed a new motion with his hands while visualizing the home they had been before their trip to the Fire Plane. And with any luck, they would arrive at that exact spot.
This time around, his memory was sharp, and they would arrive right where they left in Rayhan's home.
Ohrmizd holds hands with Heshan, he expects some pleasant avenue or inn where the sorcerer has passed time with a lover, or perhaps a library where he has been studying hard though Heshan seems more prone to the pleasings of time. So when Rayhan's home appears, he instinctively reaches for his scimitar "S~*%!"
"Hope Javhul is no longer here!" he looks around trying to quickly make an idea of the current situation.
With a blink of an eye Quantium is gone and Katapesh appears in sight. There are clear signs of scorching at the house and the neighboring area, but no signs of big destruction. The garden was hit hard by the fire where the scroll was left and the lot of the fire genies erupted into town. But Rayhan doesn't need a new home.
A quick look around shows no sign of fire genies flying around or similar catastrophic things.
Heshan was unaware ilof such things. So when they arrived at the place with no house in site, he blinked in confusion. "Huh. I was certain this was w&ere the house was at," he pondered.
Rayhan turns Heshan around. "There it is."
Ohrmizd sighs in relieve when a quick exploration of the house shows up the genies are not there "Well, guess those are really good news. Not only Golarion and Katapesh still exist, but Rayhan will not have to find a new four walls where to keep up with his ancient scrolls and planar hopping studies"
The Keleshite laughs in good mood by the fair result "Hope you do not mind the small planar traveling adventure we gave you"
Ohrmizd looks around for traces the genies might have left behind, maybe signs of what have they done in the house or how long it has past since they have been here.
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"Adventure you gave me? I'd say that was well earned, with my screw up that sucked us all into Kakishon, instead of only activating the scroll."
"But all is well that ends well. I'm relieved that my home still stands. But there is more work to do, before all is well, with Jhavhul still out."
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From the back of the garden comes the groundskeeper drawn by the noise. "Master Rayhan, you're alive and well! What a relief."
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Omari chimes in, "Indeed, Master Rayhan is alive, well, and safely returned. He also now he has a book to write, which will tell our tale. You on the other hand, can tell us what happened with the horde of genies that escaped while we were sucked into Kakishon. Do you know where they have gone, and what they have been doing while we were away?"
"They suddenly emerged in the garden. It was a big ruckus and the whole neighborhood glowed orange in their fiery presence. They were like celebrating. I bet it was visible over the whole town. Shortly after that three envoys of the Pactmasters arrived and talked to them. Then the fire creatures left."
"In that direction." the groundskeeper adds pointing in the general direction of the Brazen Peaks to the West."[/b]
"I wonder what they want with those mountains over there," Heshan said. "It's not like there is that much loot as a whole city."
He then scooted over to Rayhan. "And if you need any help with adding prose to your story, I am your man. People these days do not want only boring description of history."
Ohrmizd smiles when Rayhan acknowledges his error "All is good if it ends good. And we know a lot more now about Javhul and how he has been plotting for so long against our world. It is time we put an end to this now."
The sarenrite reflects on what he knows about the Brazen Peaks to the West.
"The Pactmasters contacted with the efriti? Do you know anything of what they talked about?" he looks pensive, also wondering about what they want from those peaks.
Those peaks are where Kelmarane is and the house of the beast.
"If Jhavhul has returned to Golarion then setting his base where the Jackal laired makes the most sense to me!"
"I would be very interested in knowing what was said between the pactmasters and the efreeti. Rayhan, do you have any contacts who could quickly (ie not waiting several days for the bureaucracy) get us an in to talk to the pactmasters?"
"I'd rather not. I could ask around and find someone who could help, but basically I brought that over Katapesh, and I don't want to give them any ideas."
"But you were in their employ, through Princess Almah. If that isn't good enough to get you an audience, what else would? Though I wouldn't expect too much enthusiasm when you have to tell why you're after Jhavhul."
"We can always keep that information to ourselves," Heshan winked. "All we really need them is to tell us what they know of the efreeti's plans."
"Yeah we can be economical with the truth; if they ask, we were on a mission for the Princess, and on our way back stuck our nose into the city. We got told about the efreets heading off in the direction of Kelmerane after meeting with the pactmasters, and want to know what the deal is... Not one word of which is a lie."
"The thing is, how we get into contact with the Pactmasters? It is not like you can go to their home and knock at their door" Ohrmizd asks "Can we?"
Hazreem strokes his beard here thoughtfully, "I say there must be an active underground group there if indeed the efreeti took over. Trying to contact one of them is the safest bet to me."