Rashid al-Gahiji's page

Hello!

I'm the person that Robert mentioned.

Legacy of Fire has a special place in my heart, as it was the first AP I was involved in when I joined the Paizo boards, many years ago.

Unfortunately, the GM disappeared just after starting Book 2, but I have fond memories of it.

Rashid al-Gahiji was the PC that I played in that campaign, and I would love a chance to play him again.

I fully intend to 'tweak' him a little (after all, there are a *lot* of options available now that were not available then), but I would like to keep the core of him the same - a troubled former merchant, who found redemption through the divine grace of the Dawnflower.

(EDIT: I have finished tweaking him.)

If that doesn't work for the group, I can build something else from the ground up that will be far more optimised for DPS production - probably a Lunar Oracle, or some flavor of Sorcerer.

Rashid raises an eyebrow imperceptibly, but otherwise refrains from responding.

Offering tribute with one hand, and then insulting with the other; what is he really trying to do?

Rashid watches with interest to see how the mephit reacts to Lavender's words, fully expecting the fiery little creature to be goaded into making a rash attack...

I concur; it was Rashid, making a Knowledge(Local) roll, who knew about the cave.

Rashid shrugs, and whispers a reply.

"I doubt the Gnolls would tolerate anyone this close to their stronghold, who they did not at least have a truce with... and truces are not something that Gnolls are exactly known for..."

Sure, but its mistress probably is ;-) Also, Rashid has no idea what its alignment is - he just knows that there are demons in this cave...

"He said nothing about this place - I remembered that there was a legend about a demon-haunted cave here, called 'The Mountain's Maw' and we decided that it might provide an alternative entrance to 'The House of the Beast."

I am all for going to town on this place. By definition, creatures of pure chaos and evil cannot be redeemed ;-)

Rashid stays silent, reasoning that Bahram has things well in hand, and being wise enough to know that one should not openly commit all of ones resources against an unknown force.

I just hope that he can handle it.

"Blue flame... is not generally normal; although I suppose there could be some sort of impurity in the rock here causing the color change. Keldar? Bahram? What do you think?"

Muttering a brief prayer to the Dawnflower, Rashid checks to see if it, or anything else in the room, is magical.[/ooc]

Casting Detect Magic.

He then draws his scimitar, and begins to quickly search the room...

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (16) + 11 = 27.

Ah, I missed that - for some reason, I thought 'medium' was as small as they went...

Rashid frowns.

"I don't think any of us know how to summon elementals, although that is certainly something to work towards..."

To summon the least form of Fire elemental, you need Summon Monster IV.

He then nods to Bahram.

"Chain or Perdition should work, although the duration may be a problem - I imagine it will take a bit longer than half a minute to melt all of the rock away from your prize."

Zaina is a Zhyen (at least, as far as I am aware), and they already have resistance to all four elemental energy types.

Rashid ponders for a moment, and then shrugs.

"Mage Hand should still not work on it if the rock is not magical, but the thing inside it is; that would be the equivalent of saying, sure, the sword is magical, but because it is in a non-magical scabbard, I can levitate it by levitating the scabbard... Moreover, Hostile Levitation specifically only works on creatures, not objects..."

He then smiles ruefully.

"As I said, it is a bit of a quandary."

Heh. I love the novelty of having a rules discussion in character ;-)

"Because the spell only works on non-magical, unattended objects weighing up to 5 pounds; I remember it used to be a poor man's way to identify what items were magical... back in Katapesh, I knew a street performer who used it as the premise for a variant on the traditional 'shell game'..."

Quoting the PFSRD for the first part ;-)

"Fair enough. Still, how do you propose to dip it into the lava without burning yourself? If it is indeed magical, Mage Hand will not work, and I dare say any mundane metal or wooden objects (that you could use to lower it) would be destroyed by contact with molten rock..."

Wisdom: Thinking things through ;-)

Rashid nods.

"Very well, we shall enter the cave. Before we do, however, you should all gather around. You too, Purkor..."

He then gestures for the Gnoll to come forward, along with the others, and holding their hands, invokes a prayer to the Everlight.

Communal Resist Energy(Fire), targeting Bahram, Lavender, Yousef, Haleen and Purkor - so 10 minutes of Fire Resistance 10, each. Make them count :-)

Resist Energy(Fire) on himself.

He then smiles at Bahram.

"I know you are excited at the prospect of lava; just promise me you will not go for a swim! More seriously, be careful: The last thing we need happening is you, or any of the rest of us, falling into molten rock..."

Hmmm... I had actually forgotten about that...

Rashid frowns in thought for a moment.

"We need to go through it. That is our Path, after all. If you are *that* concerned, though, Yousef, the Dawnflower will provide... just be aware that we cannot call on Her power indefinitely; we need to look after ourselves as well."

If Rashid prays for a further 15 minutes, he can prepare a Communal Resist Energy, which he can use to provide each of Bahram, Yousef, Lavender, Haleen and the Gnoll, with 10 minutes of Fire Resistance 10.

Rashid raises an eyebrow.

"Fire snakes in the fire cave? That sounds... uncomfortable. I think I might pray for something useful..."

He then toddles off, and begins meditating.

Taking 15 minutes to prepare a Resist Energy.

When he is finished, he opens his eyes and gives the rest of the group a beatific smile.

"Our Lady still watches over us. We will prevail, for the good of the entire region! Come, less us approach."

He then trudges cautiously towards the entrance.

Rashid ponders for a moment, before responding.

"I have no problem with him having the armor. I can see your point about refusing to give him weapons; how about if you tell him that when he earns our trust, by proving his usefulness, we will return that trust by giving him a weapon...? It gives him something to work towards, rather than slavishly following our instructions out of fear."

Rashid turns to Yousef.

"What does Purkor want?"

Rashid turns so that Purkor cannot see his face, and addresses Haleen with a frown.

"I understand that you may not be... fond... of Purkor; the Divine knows that I have seen and experienced my share of Evil at the hands of other Gnolls. However, in the same way that not all Humans, Dwarves, or Elves are Good, I refuse to believe that all Gnolls must necessarily be Evil - if there is even a spark of Goodness, I would prefer to nurture it..."

He then sighs.

"Shall we be on our way?"

Rashid nods and smiles at Purkor.

"You are welcome. As the Dawnflower teaches, all should be given the chance to redeem themselves, and you certainly seem fervent enough. If things go well enough and you are willing to work with others harmoniously, I am sure that I could even put in a good word with the leader of Kelmarane; Everlight knows, if I can help a Harpy to learn to live with others, I would be willing to help you."

I just hope that he proves worthy of our trust.

He then looks over to where Bahram is inspecting the object that Purkor recently handed over.

"Do you have any idea what that is? It certainly looks enigmatic enough..."

Rashid nods.

"Very well. If he is to be our guide, we should make sure that he is in good condition..."

He then turns to the Gnoll, initially with a serious expression, but ending with a smile.

"If you keep your end of the bargain, we will look after you, as well. The Dawnflower looks after Her own, and Her followers likewise emulate Her."

He then chants a short prayer, causing the worst of the Gnoll's injuries to close over.

CLW: 1d8 + 5 ⇒ (3) + 5 = 8.

Rashid then turns to Lavender.

"Apparently, he was escaping his tribe, who are controlled by a (?) Human female. He could certainly be useful as a guide. I say that we should give him a chance. Simply demonising him because of his race makes us no better than his people. Of course, if he betrays us, well, the Dawnflower only requires one chance at redemption to be provided..."

Rashid nods to Yousef.

"Very well. You can let him know that if he is sincere about throwing in his lot with us, I am willing to give him the chance; the Dawnflower is indeed the Goddess of Redemption, after all. If it helps, you can even sweeten the deal by letting him know that I would willing to grant him some healing, via the grace of the Everlight."

Rashid (barely suppressing a smile at the Gnoll's clumsy, but presumably sincere, turn of phrase) glances from the Gnoll, to the lump of... debris... that seems to so fascinate Bahram.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25.

Knowledge(Dungeoneering): 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (11) + 0 = 11 (caps at DC10 ;-)).

"Well, he certainly seems friendly enough, for a Gnoll; although to be honest, before he met us, his chances probably were not too good... Still, I am a firm believer in giving most sentient creatures at least a chance to redeem themselves, if they are willing, and he certainly seems willing..."

He then turns to Yousef.

"What on Golarion are you saying to Purkor? You certainly seem to be having an in-depth discussion with him..."

Rashid raises an eyebrow.

"Who exactly is trying to kill him, and why?"

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (9) + 11 = 20.

His voice hardens slightly.

"Also, what is he trying to hide, there? Tell him that full disclosure will convince me to look after his leg."

Assuming his request is carried out...

Rashid pulls out his tools, and, after a muffled prayer to the Dawnflower (Guidance), he attempts to cleanly remove the arrow, and sew-up the wound.

Heal: 1d20 + 11 + 1 ⇒ (12) + 11 + 1 = 24.

Rashid nods.

"Well, I suppose we could interrogate it..."

He then begins to work his way forward, intent on seeing whether the Gnoll requires medical attention (i.e. whether it needs to be stabilised)...

Heal: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (14) + 9 = 23.

"I certainly have no objection to you doing so; by all means, go ahead... The fewer scouts there are to report our progress, the better."

Perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (14) + 11 = 25.

"Be careful; I do not like the look of that overhang - it might collapse at any moment..."

Rashid then moves closer to Lavender.

"Two more Gnolls, armed with bows, are up on top of the overhang; they just ducked out of sight."

He then continues on, watching with apparent interest whilst Yousef 'interrogates' the bleeding Gnoll.

*whistles innocently*

Rashid nods.

"Very well. Let's be on our way. The sooner we deal with what is within the mountain, the sooner this region will become a safer place."

Despite his apparent steadfastness, however, Rashid nonetheless mutters a brief prayer to the Dawnflower under his breath as the party gets closer to their goal.

My Lady, watch over us, as we undertake this great task...

Rashid groans inwardly when Yousef makes his exit, but covers his momentary disquiet with a bow.

"Of course we will leave the two of you alone..."

He then beats a hasty retreat, ushering the others back out of the cave complex.

Rashid groans inwardly when Yousef presents the Sphinx with his version of *incredibly* blunt honesty.

I sincerely hope that she does not decide to eat him... I dare say that it would earn Sefu brownie points if he aided her...

Rashid takes a moment to collect his thoughts, but sensing that Yousef and Lavender have more... argumentative... intentions, he clears his throat, and interjects:

"I will agree to abide by your ruling, specifically regarding Sefu, since we have your word that it will be an honest and fair judgement."

He then gestures towards Sefu.

"Sefu here is very much smitten with you. He knows that he is not what you consider to be your ideal form of partner, but he does his best to overcome that, and prove his worthiness for your attention."

Rashid nods to the Zizz egg.

"He attempted to woo you with gifts, procuring that egg for you."

He then gestures to the magical hat.

"Knowing that his form was not your preferred option, he tried to change himself, in whatever small way he could, assuming another guise; this was not a trick - merely an earnest desire to present you with what you would prefer."

Rashid gestures with both arms, taking in all of the others in the room with a sweep.

"He even sought the aid of others, hoping that we would be able to provide him with some insight or amazing story which would pique your interest."

He then smiles, and gestures to Sefu once again.

"Would not one so motivated to please you make a good match? His only desire is to earn your respect and companionship, a powerful motivator that will see him (metaphorically) move the heavens themselves if it should be your desire. One such as that would also be a far more attentive mate than another who felt more... entitled... to his position."

He then bows to Ashia.

"In terms of a story, perhaps this one will be worthy of being classed as a distraction: Near here, is the human village of Kelmarane. Twenty years ago, a great evil came to the region; a camel-sized insectile fiend with huge claws, multiple eyes, slavering mandibles, and a long serpentine tail tipped with chitinous blades, named Xulthos. He corrupted the town, and despite the best efforts of the Pactmasters of Katapesh, he was not destroyed - he was simply sealed away in a crypt beneath the Temple of Sarenrae. There he languished, whilst above him, the town was claimed by a Gnoll tribe, until a Genie named Kardswann came to the region; passing into the crypt, he was dominated by the fiend, who used him to set about turning the region into a more well-run Hell. Those you see here before you were amongst his victims - we were all enslaved by the tribe, but managed to escape, and took the fight back to the tribe, eventually slaying all of them. When the time came, we went below the church, broke the seal, and destroyed the beast..." A look of anguish crosses Rashid's face... "Although we experienced a tragic loss - a companion by the name of Felliped was decapitated by the fiend; we buried him with full honors in the graveyard above, amongst the other Heroes of Kelmarane."

[ooc]Sorry, the website upgrade had my campaign page go haywire :-/ Hopefully, there will be no further interruptions :-)

Rashid groans, internally.

Why does Bahram keep attracting the attention of all sorts of ladies, in such wildly inconvenient settings? Some might consider the boy blessed by the Gods, but it can be darn inconvenient.

Given that formal introductions are being made, he bows.

"I am Father Rashid al-Gahiji, sometime companion of, and spiritual adviser to, this band of explorers. We were traveling through the region, on a quest to deal with some of the pesky Gnolls in the area, when we encountered Sefu.

Being quite moved by his tale of unrequited love, and how he was at his wit's end when it came to trying to impress you, we resolved to see what we could do to aid his suit, hoping to spin a story or two to impress you, or at the very least, to provide a pleasant temporary distraction."

Rashid groans, and curses under his breath.

"Yousef, what have you done?"

He then turns to Lavender.

"We should probably hurry. It sounds as if things are about to become... unpleasant... in there..."

Ack! Sorry, for some reason, my dot for this thread disappeared, and I did not see that there were updates :-/

Rashid nods as Bahram outlines his plan.

"It is not without risk, but I acknowledge that it is probably our best option if we are to help Sefu. Good luck; may the Dawnflower's blessing be upon you."

I will give both Bahram and Sefu a Touch of Glory, for a +5 on any one charisma-based check within the next hour.

Rashid places a fatherly hand on Bahram's shoulder.

"It is your choice whether you wish to take the risk, as Yousef suggests. I am afraid that the ancient tongue of Osirion is not familiar to me."

"Can't we just dispel them?" he asks at the warning.

Rashid shakes his head.

"I am fairly certain that that would be considered poor form, and definitely a violation of the rules of the game. Playing along is probably our best bet, especially if we are trying to help Sefu's case."

Rashid, too, ponders the answer to the riddle.

"Classically, are the four elements not *Air* (rather than Wind), Fire, Water and Earth? It would be well in keeping with the spirit of 'passworded' runic traps for the exact wording to be necessary... Otherwise, I concur with your suggestions."

Rashid nods to Bahram.

"Thank-you. Your assistance would be appreciated."

Once safely down at a more respectable ground level, he bows to the Sphinx.

"Father Rashid al-Gahiji, at your service. I am sure that between all of us, we could come up with something to tempt your love. We should probably sort-out what we are going to say before we go, though."

He then turns to the others.

"Do you have ideas?"

The poor fellow seems to be at his wits' end; ah, the trials and tribulations of unrequited love!

Rashid nods.

"If changing who you are, and material gifts, have not proved sufficient to woo her, perhaps you could try more esoteric ones - does she enjoy riddles? What about stories?"

Having said that, if ProfPotts wants to add in an extra player, I would have no objection - I am merely saying that we don't have to :-)

Eh. We *can*, but there is no absolute *need* to; the APs were written with four PCs in mind, after all...

(Plus, we have a couple of NPCs/'cohorts' plumping-out the party-mix.)

Wordlessly, Rashid steps forward and places a hand on Bahram's shoulder as he addresses the mighty beast.

Have a Touch of Glory for +5 to that Diplomacy check ;-)

@ProfPotts:

In terms of rebuilding, what are our thoughts about archetypes?

I was considering either Crusader, or Separatist/Scroll Scholar - the former, since we are down Keldar, and the latter, because I think it is cool ;-)

Also, since I have read-up on the region thanks to the Inner Sea World Guide, how do you feel about the Nodachi as a weapon? It is a curved blade, and although of Tien origin, there are a *lot* of Tien in Katapesh...

Rashid eyes the regal-looking creature warily.

"What my lovely companion means to say, is when presented with such a display of obvious power from so obviously regal a source as one such as yourself, we are at a loss to determine what ones such as ourselves could offer you. If you could but grant us an indication of what you would consider to be worthy tribute, we would do our best to live up to your expectations..."

I hope that it does not want anything... too... problematic.

Rashid has enjoyed the last few days; true, there have been a couple of times he has held his breath, and kept an eye on a distant predator, and there is the ever-present evidence of Gnoll activity, but the relative lack of action gives him hope... for surely, if the Gnolls knew that the party was here, they would have made life... difficult...

Climb: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (11) + 3 = 14.

...Caught unawares by the suddenly rising waters, Rashid barely has time to scrabble out of the way, before he is swept away.

"Is everyone alright?"

Well, there is a spell called Cloak of Shade on the PRD (so I can reproduce it here):

Cloak of Shade

School abjuration; Level druid 1, ranger 1

Casting Time 1 standard action

Component V, S, M (a leaf from a shade tree)

Range touch

Target one creature per level

Duration 1 hour/level (D)

Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes (harmless)

This spell provides the subject with some degree of protection from the harmful effects of the sun. The cloaked subject treats environmental heat due to sun exposure as one level less: severe heat is considered very hot conditions, while very hot is considered average temperature (see heat dangers). The cloak of shade also reduces any penalties from sunlight by 1. The spell does not, however, eliminate the effects of direct sunlight on creatures vulnerable to sunlight. Cloak of shade has no effect on environmental heat from sources other than the sun.

P.S. Words cannot express how happy I am that this game is back :-)

redotting.

You might want to consider PM'ing some of the other players... :-)

Rashid is still here, and ready to keep going :-)

I would be interested in joining this campaign. This PC *was* in a previous Legacy of Fire campaign, which folded when the GM disappeared :-/

However, from what I gather, he... modded... the module a fair bit, so hopefully, that should not count against me.

I also have a fair amount of PbP experience, and can keep IC and OOC knowledge separate, if need be :-)

Not that I am aware of :-/

Prof has been maintain radio silence...