Almah - NPC's page

Lady Almah Looks back at Zhalet with a grave expression, "That is indeed a serious matter. I am very glad that you are taking precautions despite the likelihood of success. If there is anything I can do to help, please let me know." She looks a little to the left for a moment, then continues, "The full moon is in ten days, if I have reckoned correctly, and if memory serves lycanthropes suffer the full effect of their curse on the nights preceding and following the full moon as well. In nine days, we should have an answer." She reaches across the table to place her hand on Zhalet's arm, "Please know that if you are afflicted, I will do everything in my power to see that you are cured."

Lady Almah cocks her head to one side, repeating quietly to herself, "Weal is hidden behind cautious steps. Woe is at the end of the headlong path."

"Does it mean that you six must be cautious, or that we are acting too soon?" Almah stands and walks over to a chest near her bed, muttering once again, "Weal is hidden behind cautious steps. Woe is at the end of the headlong path."

When she stands again, she has a bandoleer in her hands holding some potion vials, "I will send these with you. They will help with the hiding and the caution. Any that remain when you return will be likewise returned to me." She sits back down across from Zhalet laying the bandoleer on the table, "I choose to think that it is a warning that the six of you must be more careful than you have been thus far. While you have been careful, I will help you to be more so. These potions will each render you invisible for a very short time. Use them well, and reclaim my city from the flea-ridden mongrels that infest it!"

Perception: 1d20+8

Zhalet settles into the chair across from Almah.

How unexpected, considering her previous soothsayer was a man. Perhaps he was of extraordinary talent.

Zhalet is slightly tense. This will be the most complicated magic she has ever attempted. Hopefully it will go well considering the difficult conversation she should broach with Almah during this opportunity to do so while they are (more or less) alone.

"The cards are beautiful, each a work of art on its own" she remarks as she watches Almah handle them.

"This scroll is an augury. As I understand it, the augury will require a question to address. The question should inquire about some course of action. It will be answered by indicating weal or woe if either would result from the course you wish to know about. An augury does not look far into the future, no more than today, and the closer to the present the better. What do you wish to explore?"

I'm assuming the spell is Augury. If it is something else Zhalet will adjust the specifics she explains to match.

Lady Almah nods her understanding, closing her eyes briefly in contemplation. After a moment she opens them again and meets Zhalet's gaze, "Very well, here is my question: 'Will it benefit or harm my expedition to send my representatives into Kelmarane this morning?'"

Lady Almah is sitting at a small, ornately inlaid and laquered table shuffling a Harrow deck. She smiles as Zhalet enters and sets the cards aside with a small shrug, "Though I have never developed the knack for reading the Harrow, I find that it is soothing to handle them from time to time."

She gestures to the other chair at the small table, "Please, make yourself comfortable. Thank you for taking the time to assist me in this. Though I know it is silly, I find it unpleasant when a man handles divinations. Among my people, that is a task for a woman."

After speaking with Solomon in the infirmary Zhalet gathers her gear, dons her armor, and buckles on her scimitar. She walks out to the main courtyard and finds a place in the shade to wait for the others to gather for the walk to Kelmarane.

As Zhalet waits in the western side of the courtyard where the shade is yet deep, a quiet voice surprises her by its closeness. Lady Almah stands just outside the courtyard, where she is shielded from the view of the rest of the party, "Zhalet, I very much appreciated the morning service that you and Solomon conducted for us. I am curious if you are willing and able to perform a divination for me of the near future? It will surely take only a short time and the others are clearly occupied with that hole in the ground. I would be very grateful for your help."

If you choose to do so, you can use Augury or Profession(Astrologer), or something similar.

1d20 ⇒ 15
1d20 ⇒ 8

-We'll get some rest and tomorrow put our hands on the task- says Rukn standing up. -but meanwhile... is there someone here who can do a small jewelcrafting... mission?

Lady Almah shakes her head slightly, "No, not that I know of. You might ask Garavel, though."

At the news of these 'cursed creatures' Kilarra's face turns slightly ashen. "Thank you for letting me know. I will go submit myself to Father Zastoran immediately and I will have the prisoner taken to him as well. Thank you for the warning." Kilarra bows and makes her way out...

Lady Almah waves a dismissal, "Please do. Heal and rest well; it sounds like you have a busy day tomorrow."

"If we are to leave tomorrow, then perhaps it would be wise to see if anyone can help to ease some of my existing wounds. I would be at full strength before we depart".

Lady Almah rises from the table as the group makes their way from her rooms, "As always, Father Zastoran is available and willing to treat any injuries you may have."

Lady Almah listens quietly, asking only a few questions as Kilarra relates the events of the last two days. She smiles when Rukn joins them, gesturing him to a chair beside the others.

When Kilarra gets to the point in the narration relating to the strange leopard-creature that turned into a man, Lady Almah's face turns very grave, and she interrupts the tale, "I have heard of creatures like this. They are related to the legendary werewolves found in other lands. Like the werewolf, their curse can be passed from one to another through its bite or claws. Anyone who was injured by this creature should be examined by Father Zastoran. I will inform him that if any are infected, he should use the necessary resources."

Once Kilarra finishes the tale, Lady Almah smiles once more, "A well told tale, Kilarra. I approve of the dedication to the task shown by you and your companions. I agree that you should continue on into Kelmarane tomorrow; I am eager to reclaim the city. I should inform you that a courier reached me this morning. The Pactmasters have decided to commit more resources to the retaking of Kelmarane. They have dispatched another caravan to either join ours, or replace us if we are moving too slowly. We have a few days, but I do not wish to surrender the prize that Kelmarane will be to another."

Almah smiles and invites Kilarra and Erizi to join her at a small table inside her rooms. "No, this should not require all of you. I would like to be briefed on the events of the last two days. Kilarra, you came back to us last night with a report of stiff resistance at the Shrine. And today you return in the very nick of time, but with a prisoner in tow. What has occurred since your group left after rescuing Andrus?"

With the sounds of combat finished Lady Almah comes into the courtyard, preceeded and flanked by her Pactmaster Guard. She takes in the size of the bird and the presence of of the group and smiles, "You have excellent timing, my friends. I would be interested to hear the results of your foray into the old Shrine of Nethys. Once you have recovered a bit from this bit of excitement, please come see me."

Lady Almah nods in approval, "Very well, then. I shall look forward to your successful return."

I am assuming that you will be consulting Dashki, then following the plan of scout the fringes of Kelmarane on your way to the shrine to Nethys. Is that correct?

Almah shakes her head in answer to Kilarra's question, "No Kilarra, the fortress is just a few miles from Kelmarane. Pale Mountain is much further away."

She listens a little more before she speaks once agian, "So you will explore the shrine to Nethys, then go scouting in Kelmarane? Will you be reporting in here between the two or heading right to Kelmarane after the shrine?"

Almah turns to each of you to respond to your questions.

"I will have a rough map of the area made, and I have a map of what Kelmarane was, but the gnolls may have made changes to it, so be wary."

"We do not have a solid count on how many gnolls are in the Kulldis tribe. That is part of what we need you to probe for."

We will need to take the old fortress eventually, but putting Kelmarane between us and the trade route here would possibly be a mistake. Also, access to the village of Kelmarane from the old fortress is through a low pass in the hills to the north. It would be easier for the Kulldis to attempt to trap us up there."

Almah rises and nods to the party as they enter. With a gesture, she invites you all to join her at the table. She speaks once everyone is seated, "We are within sight of Kelmarane, and on the verge of beginning to reclaim it. I thought now would be a good time to discuss our strategies for the campaign to retake the town. I suggest that you make a scouting foray into the outskirts of Kelmarane to gauge the strength of the forces occupying the town. What little information I have on the gnoll tribe living there suggests that a frontal assault on their strong place, the battle market, would be nothing less than suicidal. The first phase of this endeavor should be one of guerrilla war. There are also a few interesting in the vicinity that may yield resources that would be useful. There is an old fort several miles to the north of Kelmarane, and an old shrine to Nethys close tot he east side of the town. Do any of you have any other ideas or opinions on how to proceed?"

"Good morning to you all. I was prevailed upon by my majordomo and the captain of my guard, and I have decided to follow their unceasing advice." Her eyes flash with minor irritation as she glances aside at Garavel and the leader of the Guard; the two men show no sign that they have noticed. "I will remain here and prepare the caravan to travel. You all will precede us to the monastery and scout it out. If there are hostile creatures living therein, evict them. If they are too powerful, return to us here and we shall make alternate plans."

She glances back over the waking caravan with a resigned expression, "It is unlikely that we will be moving before the sun is three hands into the sky, and we will be traveling at the blistering speed of the water wagon. If all goes well, we will join you at the monastery this afternoon. Go with the blessing of the Everlight, fight well, be safe, and we shall see you as soon as the gods allow."

Almah shrugs in response to Alexander's request, "Do as you wish, we leave at first light. We will scout and clear the building once we are closer; if something truly fearsome had taken up residence there, word would have spread of it by now."

"The monastery you mention Lady Almah, it is not the same place as the church? My understanding is that the church is in Kelmarane itself?"

This may be an even more promising expedition than I thought! Perhaps both could eventually be restored!

Almah nods to Zhalet, "The monastery is outside the immediate vicinity of Kelmarane, and the church is within Kelmarane. Both are buildings that were dedicated to Sarenrae."

Just to be clear, for the sake of moving the story along I have been operating under the assumption that you all made a full report to her when you arrived back at camp. If you would all have held information back from her, I apologize for the assumption.

Almah smiles at Rukn, "A good question, but it seems highly logical. Dashki has thus far given no reason to suspect he would do such a thing. Most of the evidence against him is circumstantial at best. He is an expert when it comes to gnolls. He claimed it was highly likely that a pugwampi, or more than one, was responsible. You found tracks of tiny creatures leading to the camp, and one of our goats tied in a cactus thicket and watched by the very creature of which Dashki spoke. Further, none of you are particularly clumsy or incompetent, yet you described an odd run of the worst luck even when attempting something so mundane as untying an unruly goat or climbing a rough, sloping wall; bad luck that seemed to end the moment the pugwampi died. Given the number of candles my countryman enjoyed burning in his wagon, a mild bit of bad luck would have been enough to start a fire, much less the misfortune you describe. It is enough to satisfy me at the very least that Dashki is not responsible. Even if there is nothing more out in the night to threaten us here, the monastery would make a better base of operations for our campaign to retake Kelmarane. Have I sufficiently explained my motivations?"

When the returning party presents Almah with the body of the pugwampi, she examines it closely for several moments and listens to the descriptions of the strange clumsiness that seemed to vanish with the creature's death.

She addresses Dashki first, "Dashki, I am very pleased that the true culprit is discovered and that the circumstances that implicated you were nothing more than stories and happenstance. Welcome back." Dashki offers to dispose of the corpse, and Almah simply nods her acceptance.

She then turns to the rest of you, "Thank you for assisting once again in this matter. Garavel has conveyed to me the terms of your employment. I can with pleasure confirm your employment and for the time being, the terms will remain the same as outlined by Garavel." She pauses and her face takes on a pensive look, "There must be more of those creatures living in the nearby hills if you were able to find one so easily. This position is obviously far too exposed a location. I know of an old monastery to Sarenrae that stands near the village of Kelmarane. That old building would likely make a much better base for our early stages of reclaiming the town."

She nods decisively, "Yes. We will move our operation to the Dawnflower's abandoned monastery. While we travel, your daily rate will be 1 scarab with a 3 scarab hazard pay per day in which you face such dangers as we might find. Once we have secured the monastery, we can revisit the topic of our contract. Will that be acceptable?"

Erizi finally catches his breath from his excited run. "Of course I will hunt these puggle wumps. Be sure and keep an eye out for Rombard however and don't kill him mistaking him for one".

Then turning to Almah... "Is it necessary for this creature to still be able to draw a breath when we bring it to you"?

Almah smiles thinly, "Not in the slightest. I simply require to see one."

Almah suddenly appears out of thin air standing out of the way but close by. She glances around the group with a small, smug smile. “If my gnoll expert is correct,” she says, “the hills around here should be crawling with these pugwampis, or at least some sign of their passage. If what Dashki says is true, it should be easy for him to find one and bring it back to me.” The merchant princess turns to the PCs. “As he is, however, our best suspect in this affair, it would not do to send him out into the darkness alone. I’m afraid that your investigation is not yet at an end. Go out into the desert with Dashki and find me one of these pugwampis.”

Almah addresses Garavel with a rather detached demeanor despite the stains on her clothing, ”Garavel, if you would be so kind, please uncover the cause of this fire. Was it simply carelessness on the part of Eloais, or was it caused by someone? While I regret the loss of a useful astrologer, I must know if we are yet in some amount of danger.”

Almah turns to the newcomers, ”My apologies for your rather abrupt introduction to my expedition. I am Almah, merchant princess of Katapesh. You have met Garavel. I must ask further forbearance from you at this point. Since it seems rather unlikely that any of you were involved in any alleged misdeeds here in camp, I would request that you assist Garavel with his investigation as you are able. Please get to the bottom of this, be it ever so banal as bad luck with candles. I will hereby confirm the terms under which you were hired for the duration of the evening, and we will speak more in the morning on the topic of your continued employment here with me. If you need me, I will be in my tent.” With that, she sweeps off towards her tent as regally as if she were processing along an Lord’s audience chamber.

The central flap on the largest tent, an elaborate affair of silks and fine cloth, flies open and a regally elegant woman who can only be the merchant Princess Almah stalks out into the night. "Douse that flame!” she shouts to the men surrounding the burning wagon.

Turning to survey the rest of the scene, her eyes fall upon Garavel and the rest of you, ”Ah, Garavel! You have returned to us finally. And just a moment later than the nick of time, as usual.” Her glance travels past the shocked majordomo to the rest of you, ”The rest of you! If you would join us, find some way to help!”

She then turns back to the fire and the men fighting it.