[Pathfinder] Wrath of the Righteous, part 38: Seeking Redemption

Shim's player was absent this session.

From here on out I intend to write my journal entries as letters from Asami to her master in Jinin.


To:
Master Seimei of the Council of the Golden Flame
Golden Lotus Pavilion
Ayajinbo
Jinin

Respected Master -

As I told you in my last missive, we had enjoyed the success of releasing an elemental of wood from the clutches of the demons. This event occurred only a short while before the events I describe to you here. In addition to freeing the elemental, it seems that she has presented me with a gift, a wooden pendant in the form of a heart. I have yet to examine it closely to determine what if any special properties it may contain. She also left scattered upon the floor several wooden discs marked with a heart symbol which we believe to be tokens that can cause a tree to grow magically from them. Jiro and I will both be glad to use these to restore some of the trees that have been lost to the evil aura of the Worldwound when the time comes. I have taken charge of all of these objects with the exception of one that Jiro has taken into his care.

After we met the elemental, we had dealt with a succubus who had occupied Citadel Drezen's chapel to Iomedae. This foul creature had gone so far as to disguise herself as the goddess and had convinced several Crusader soldiers that she was the genuine deity. She had used her demonic wiles to cause me to flee back to the army encampment, and to turn Zosta against Runa. Later she also charmed Shim, though to our good fortune he is a talkative individual and continually responded to her commands aloud so that we could easily determine that he had been tricked, and also locate her when she attempted to hide from us with Shim at her side. It was Jiro who gave me the idea to encircle her in a spell that would block her magic.

Sadly we had been forced to slay several of the Crusader soldiers who would not abandon their conviction that the succubus was Iomedae, but we were able to spare two of them. Shim returned to the camp with these men to hand them over and report all that had taken place. While he did this we found the elemental's tokens and saw to our injuries. Shim did not return to us, and we determined that we would continue to explore the interior of the Citadel without him. Our first destination was the chapel, to seek the hidden chamber where Aron had told us we might find the Sword of Valor.

The chapel itself was free of magic, though we feared the succubus might have cast some illusion upon it to reinforce her disguise. But neither Jiro nor I could sense such subterfuge. At first despite Aron's map Jiro was unable to find the hidden panel to open the chamber. Only when all four of us searched for it did we locate it, each of us finding one corner at almost the same instant. The small chamber we found inside was strewn with the remnants of storage boxes and chests, indicating that the occupiers had discovered it, much to our dismay. There was no sign of the banner, but another hidden door was quickly discovered leading from the storage room, and Jiro surmised that perhaps this small room was only a decoy to mislead invaders into thinking that they had found the Citadel's treasury.

The next chamber was longer, lined with statues of an armored woman bearing a sword. Four statues stood along the longer walls, two on the east and two on the west. At the south end hung a tattered tapestry of an armored woman kneeling before a robed man, matching the design of a tapestry that had covered the hidden panel in the chapel. At the north end of he room stood another statue of a woman, but this one held both hands out to support a rod from which a banner was suspended. All five statues wore armor that was not merely sculpted, one of which was covered in gold like the armor Runa had when she first joined our company. The banner the statue held met the description of the Sword of Valor that we had been given, but all of us were suspicious of its authenticity. When I examined it for magical auras I found that it had a strong blue aura of abjuration as I would have expected from the Sword, yet still I doubted. I feared that the demons had left a false, cursed banner behind to harm us.


Iomedae

I was not far wrong, for when Jiro approached the statue it suddenly transformed into two creatures. The nearest creature's long tongue shot out to ensnare him. Jiro immediately recognized that this shapeshifting creature was a mimic, and that he would be unable to pull himself free of the powerful sticky substance it exuded. He also recalled that acid would be ineffective against it, which he quickly called out to the rest of us. He recognized as well that these mimics must be afflicted with the fiendish taint of the Abyss, which meant they would be resistant to harm caused by flame or ice. I had largely prepared myself with spells to defend against evil creatures and their powers rather than for causing harm. I drew my wand, while Jiro summoned a tetsubo of magical force to attack the mimic gripping him. Zosta then leaped over one of the statues to bring her enchanted brass knuckles down upon the monster and her hand promptly adhered to it, but this did not prevent her from pummeling it with her other fist. I sent three missiles at it from my wand but it was resistant to the magic and the missiles faded out like droplets of water striking a hot flame.

Mimic

Runa moved to attack the second mimic and she too was captured by its glue-like hide. One of her blades adhered to it as well. She prayed to Iomedae to bring down a burst of searing radiance on the creature. I called out to the denizens of Elysium for aid and a lantern archon appeared to blast Jiro's captor with divine light while I sent more missiles at it from the wand. The beast squeezed Jiro more and more tightly and I could see his face flushing as he grimaced in pain. Fortunately the combination of Zosta's blows with my missiles and the archon's light slew it in a few moments and we could turn our attention to Runa's foe. It too died to my wand and the archon's attacks after Jiro's summoned daikatana dealt it several harsh blows.

Freed of the monsters, Jiro healed himself and Runa of the injuries the mimics' crushing grasp had inflicted. As we had feared, the Sword of Valor was gone. We would have to search the rest of the Citadel and hope that it remained within. But first we had to wait for the mimics' adhesive substance to lose its effectiveness, which it did quickly after the deaths of the creatures. Once Jiro and Runa were free, I looked at the suits of armor worn by the statues and saw that the gilded suit bore an enchantment. All four statues wore very fine quality heavy plate mail, but the other three suits were not magically enhanced. Runa was instantly attracted to the gilded suit, for she still regretted the loss of her golden suit of mail that had been damaged by a giant amoeba while we were still in the subterranean realm beneath Kenabres. She hesitated only a moment before deciding to exchange her current suit of armor for the golden armor on the statue, for it could grant her some most beneficial advantages. Though she was fully clothed in a gambeson beneath her armor, Jiro still decorously turned his face toward the wall while she removed her armor and exchanged it for the other suit. When she was garbed in the new suit of armor she looked most pleased.

Whil Runa readied herself, I suggested to my companions that I should send forth an eye of arcane energy to look ahead and tell us what enemies might await us. The others found this wise. We determined that we would search the remaining area immediately surrounding the chapel first, as this portion of the Citadel was separated from the other sections by walls. In retrospect I should also have cast a spell to enable us to communicate quietly, and summoned a creature to open the doors that would invariably be closed, I regret that I did not think of this, nor did it occur to me use the rod I carry that can increase the duration of my spells. I am ashamed to confess my foolishness to you, my master.

Zosta exited the chamber that had held the false Sword of Valor and opened the next door, one of two set close together which should lead into a chamber running parallel to the inner bailey wall beneath the ballista towers. When I looked through the eye I saw a mass of bunks thrust close together in a haphazard fashion. At the west end of the long room lay a dozen headless corpses, while at the opposite end were twelve severed heads that appeared all to have belonged to tieflings. Then a furiously angry human woman rushed toward the door where Zosta still stood after having opened it a crack to admit the eye. Because I had forgotten to cast the message spell I could not warn her.

The woman sprang out to attack Zosta, shouting in a language that none of us could understand. Runa ran out into the passageway, casting on herself a spell to allow her to comprehend the woman's speech. The woman was exclaiming something about how she had slain all of the tieflings in the room yet she laid the blame for it upon us, and also feared that the traitor Staunton Vhane would punish her for her failure. Runa reported that she seemed desperate.

Zosta grabbed hold of the woman and held her tightly, preventing her from attacking as effectively as she might otherwise have done, for like Zosta herself the woman was a barbarian, though from another people. While she was held immobilized, Jiro approached her and told her that we wished to help her. She ceased to rage and began to converse with him in the common tongue, telling him that she had slain the tiefling siege engineers after they failed to destroy us, in order to curry favor with Staunton Vhane so that she herself would not be punished. Jiro told her that we would protect her from Vhane. As he contined to speak with her she also revealed that the invaders had constructed a dungeon beneath the Citadel that did not appear on Aron's map. She did not know every detail of what lay within this underground area, but it seemed wise to all of us that we should take her to the army encampment for questioning, as a prisoner but one who would be treated well and offered an opportunity to redeem herself from her association with evil. Zosta then made a surprisingly stirring oratory on the possibility of redemption, and the combination of hers and Jiro's generous words convinced the woman to cooperate. She even offered to accompany us as we continued searching the Citadel. Her name is Jestak.

Jestak

Because my arcane eye was still in effect, we sent it out to explore a bit more of the area around us before we took Jestak to camp. She told us that near the chapel lay an armory, which we went to as soon as we assured ourselves that no enemies awaited us. There were a number of weapons and armors of good quality, some of them magically enhanced, which the demons and their servants had for some inexplicable reason left there. We have observed that the forces of evil here have not demonstrated much knowledge of tactics, for they have closed every door within the Citadel but have not blocked or barred many of them, and when some creatures have been assigned to watch a particular chamber they never leave it, nor do they seem to have any means of communicating with one another or with their leaders. We can only hope that they will continue to be so overconfident and unwilling to cooperate with each other.

For now we have returned to camp to restore our health and replenish our magic. Tomorrow we will revisit the Citadel to seek out this dungeon Jestak speaks of, though I do not know if we will permit her to accompany us. The paladins still detect the taint of evil upon her, but we hope that if a demon can be redeemed it will not be so difficult for a human woman to follow that path.

I will write again when I have more to tell.

Next: part 39, A Clean Sweep

[Dungeons & Dragons 3.5] Shadows of Greatness, parts 76 - 78

76. A Momentous Evening

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Author's note: the combat between Liadan and Kamaree during the previous session lasted 2 and 1/2 rounds. A round in D&D is 6 seconds. So the fight we were so anxious about and prepared so carefully for lasted 15 seconds.

As we remained in the ambassador's quarters awaiting his return, our relaxing sojourn was interrupted by commanding voices from the antechamber. A group of heavily armed efreeti entered the rooms and took up positions throughout Halashan's residence, paying no attention to us.

These guards exchanged words with Halashan's aide, but they spoke in the tongue of their native plane and only Erim could comprehend their words. He reported that some mention was made of a privilege having been revoked, a statement that sounded rather ominous to my ears.

Halashan's aide approached us and explained that it might be wiser if we repaired to some other location. We thanked him and quickly took our leave of the ambassador's rooms. A palace servant was summoned to guide us to the gates.

Having no better place to turn our steps toward, we returned to the inn at which we had stayed our first nights in the city. Fortunately space was still available there. We found that as we passed through the palace and down to the inn, we were met with looks of appraisal or appreciation more so than we had been previously. It seems that Liadan's reputation has spread.

On the following day at the appointed hour we took carriages to the palace once again. During our journey we observed an increase in the number of djanni in uniform performing military maneuvers. It is impressive to see these beings flying in formation - but knowing what is purportedly the Caliph's intent in forming such an army, the sight is also disturbing

We were led by a servant through the palace's many passages to the sumptuous rooms of Minister Jafar. I was surprised that we were permitted in the prince's presence fully armed, but I suspect the many alcoves lining the chambers were occupied by concealed guards.

The prince's quarters are ornately decorated with gold and stonework of rare quality. We were conducted into the prince's audience chamber and summoned to a dais, where the prince sat on a throne-like seat. One of his guards stepped forward and announced him with a long honorific in the language of fiery creatures, which of course I could not understand. Liadan then introduced all of the members of our group.

He is taller than most of the efreeti I have seen thus far, as well as less condescending in manner. He greeted us pleasantly and with a certain enthusiasm, confiding that he was restless and looked forward to our meeting. Liadan responded by saying that she hoped our visit would amuse him and our gift would be looked upon with favor.

When Liadan had presented him with the beholder blade, he appeared to be pleased with the gift and encouraged us to tell him how we came to possess the item,inviting us to walk with him as the tale was recounted. Liadan began the story, and completed it with Nekaya-Re's assistance. Baran, Erim and I merely followed along in silence as the prince strolled through his quarters, nodding and asking many questions about the narrative.

I noted that my friends carefully avoided speaking the name of our guide Khai or telling where he came from, and remained circumspect about certain events that had occurred in the eye tyrant's subterranean stronghold. It chafes me to practice subterfuge, but it is unwise to be too open in this place.

As we progressed through the prince's apartments, we came to a chamber wherein he displayed his collection of exotic weapons. The prince had cleverly timed our arrival at this chamber to coincide with the conclusion of our tale.

His collection is quite extensive, displaying items from many different parts of the world, and likely even from other planes of existence. He has possession already of a weapon such as the one we had presented to him, but it is in poor condition by comparison to our gift. Part of the blade had been obviously repaired. Among the other weapons he showed us appeared a blade that had belonged to a paladin of Torm in Liadan's estimation. It emitted a slight humming sound when the prince approached it. When Nekaya-Re asked how he came by it, the prince told her that it had been recovered long ago after its wielder had sacrificed himself to rescue another person from another dimension.

Liadan then asked the prince if his collection contained any items dedicated to Lathander. The prince showed us to a dagger of the variety that may be sheathed on the inner face of a shield or buckler. The blade was clearly associated with the Morninglord, but the grip did not appear to be original to the weapon. Sadly he had no knowledge of the blade's origin.

We were then invited to join the prince for refreshments. He led us to another chamber, which like all of the rooms in the palace was out of proportion to our size, though the custom of sitting on cushions rather than chairs alleviated this difference of height somewhat. We were served an assortment of exotic fruits and mulled wine.

When we had expressed proper appreciation of his collection, our conversation turned to the system of justice which he administers here. Then the prince broached the subject of our presence in the city and our reason for coming to this place. Liadan expressed our desire to speak with Osaze Mumbai, carefully avoiding any remark that might lead the prince to believe we intend to attempt a rescue - for Prince Jafar is after all the Minister of Crime for the Caliph's court.

The prince was most courteous, but he wasted no time in informing us that he believed our goal to be unattainable. But we did not relent in our determination to seek an audience with Osaze. Erim asked if there was any manner by which we could gain the Caliph's favor in order to gain our desire. To this the prince stated that he could think of little we could offer, but perhaps if we remain patient we might find an opportunity, for the Caliph is subject to capricious moods.

At this point the Star Ruby we had acquired was brought forth by Baran and displayed for the prince's appraisal, for we hope that this item will attract the Caliph's interest. Jafar agreed that this might be worthy of the Caliph's attention, but that it must be presented at an opportune moment, else the Caliph might see it as a bribe and take offense. The prince then offered to bring it to the Caliph's attention himself. No doubt this will benefit him as much as ourselves, but we will chance this if it will improve our likelihood of gaining an audience.

  

In the course of this discussion, the prince happened to mention that it is he who is the most likely successor to the Caliph. I should not have taken note of this had I not recalled Lord Fwaash mentioning to us that the Caliph's successor would likely be amenable to removing the efreeti army to the Plane of Fire for many lives of Men.

Prince Jafar confided to us that it would be unlikely we would have an opportunity to gain audience with the Caliph in less than a week's time, which appreared to us to be quite satisfactory. Our chances of meeting Osaze appeared to have drastically improved.

We then parted company with the prince, expressing our gratitude to him for his assistance, and made our exit from the palace once more.

As a servant escorted us toward the gates, Baran murmured to us through our enchanted rings that we should be doubly on our guard, for we had now revealed that we are in possession of an item of great value. Erim argues that we need not have sought Jafar's aid in gaining access to the Caliph. He believes we could merely have mentioned the jewel to the prince and he would tell the Caliph of its presence within the city.

We began to discuss whether we ought to seek out Halashan and inquire as to his status. Erim is also convinced that it was our presence that led to the djinn ambassador's apparent difficulties. The rest of us are not so certain, but we elected not to approach Halashan's quarters and instead continued our progress toward the gate.

Another servant then approached our guide, who came to a halt. This second servant then announced to us that an invitation had been extended to us to dine with the Caliph! Shocked and startled, we accepted without hesitation - except perhaps for Erim, who appeared reluctant.

The servant escorted us then to a section of the palace we had not visited previously, where we were conducted to a pair of suites even more opulent than any chamber we had visited. We were offered the services of a palace tailor to provide us with suitable attire.

As the servant explained to us at what time the gong for dinner would sound, I experienced a curious sensation, which I recognized as the residue of some magical effect. I resisted an attempt by some person to intrude other thoughts upon my own. The servant then informed us that he had been asked to tell us that tonight was not a night for presentations. Baran appeared rather confused by this. Nekaya-Re was obliged to ask him to wait until later so that she might explain the intent of the servant's statement.

Erim asked then if someone might elaborate upon the appropriate customs of the court, to which the servant replied rather disdainfully that someone would be sent to us for this purpose. When the servant departed, Nekay-Re explained to Baran the meaning of the servant's advice.

Then an efreet who appeared quite aged entered the chamber, accompanied by several humans - among the few we had seen within the palace proper. The tailor asked each of us many questions regarding our preferences in clothing, which he directed his human assistants to take note of. When he had concluded these interviews, the garments appeared at once. I realized that Erim had told us on our arrival in the city that efreet are capable of granting the wishes of other beings. It appears that they maintain human servants of their own for the purpose of making wishes that they may grant! What a curious culture.

A courtier had also arrived to explain court etiquette to us, and we were advised that we would not be permitted to wear any type of armor unless we were members of a recognized military organization. Baran was rather put out by the thought of leaving his armor in the room, for he has long worn an enchanted ring that permits him to sleep whilst wearing his armor and he feels most comfortable in its embrace. But he was persuaded that for this occasion he must make an exception to his customary attire. He also learned that he must make exception to his usual lack of need to eat or drink.

Once we had bathed and dressed in our new princely garments, we took our leave of Pakkin, whom we had determined would do better left behind, and followed more servants to an antechamber to meet the Caliph's other dinner guests. Naturally for this occasion we were obliged to leave all weapons behind, even daggers. Nekaya-Re even chose to have Sunshine remain behind to avoid giving offense. We were each announced as we entered by the names and titles we had given to the courtier.

  

We found ourselves amid a group of efreet - no other guests were representatives of our kindred, nor of any sort of being other than those native to the Plane of Fire. Ambassador Halashan was conspicuously absent. We spread ourselves about the room, observing that Lord Fwaash was the only guest present with whom we were already acquainted. The murmur of many voices was loud, for the size of the efreet causes their voices to carry further than those of less massive creatures.

  

I stood beside my friend Baran while Liadan and Nekaya-Re made a circuit of the room. It became apparent that Lord Fwaash was casually slithering toward them. They paused to converse with the salamander noble, though I could not quite make out their words. They confided later that Fwaash again brought up the topic of visiting the Plane of Fire. The salamander appears to be quite interested in garnering our cooperation.

After some while a servant announced that dinner was served and we were conducted into a vast, opulent dining room occupied by a tremendously long banquet table. We were not seated as a group at the table, but found that each of us had an efreet seated beside us. This made for somewhat uncomfortable dinner conversation, for the efreet appeared unwilling to speak anything other than their native tongue, and it is obvious they consider creatures of the Material Plane beneath their notice.

The caliph arrived, accompanied by several female efreet, whose like we had not seen before. The other guests bowed but did not rise, and I followed their example. The Caliph then clapped his hands and announced that the meal should begin. The servants surged forward to offer various viands. The Caliph also announced that in the presence of outlanders it was permissible to speak in the human tongue.

The meal was made up of a variety of exotic dishes the like of which I have never encountered before. I shall not endeavor to describe them here. In truth I have forgotten what most of them were, though Liadan and Nekaya-Re questioned one of our neighbors about the cuisine.

The Caliph spoke, and I turned to attend his words as the courtier had advised. He looked toward the far end of the table, and I followed his gaze. Another human attired as a servant had entered the chamber, an older man who moved somewhat stiffly as though suffering from some injury or perhaps the effects of advancing age. He bowed toward the Caliph, to which the Caliph responded by saying, "This lowest of my servants. Make yourself useful."

I realized with a shock that this must be Osaze Mumbai.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quips & Quotes

Baran: "The other efreet come back from the concession stand saying, 'You wouldn't believe the line for the restrooms... What, the fight's over?!'"

Baran: "Are they talking, like, buffet privileges?"

Nekaya: "All these evil people make me uncomfortable."

GM: "That's about 98% of the population."

Nekaya: "I know. And I can't smite them!"

GM: "So show him how it (the mouthblade) is used."

Erim: "Somebody's got to put it in their mouth and charge him."

GM: "One of the guards is carrying the mouth sword."

Nekaya: "I hope he doesn't trip!"

Nekaya: "I tell the prince how we fled across the desert from the exploding sandworms."

GM: "Thre prince says, 'The caliph had two of those as pets until one of them became angry with the other and then it exploded.'"

GM: "In a crystal case you see a bastard sword that clearly is associated with the church of… stalling until I find the name."

Baran: "I make an Appraise check. How much is this ruby worth?"

GM: "It's worth about 14,000. Which isn't that much, but for a single gem…"

Baran: "For a single gem that's monstrous."

Telemnar: "It's a monstrous gem?"

Baran: "Yeah, it's a rather large small monstrous gem."

Liadan: "Can we get a doggy bag?"

Baran: "We all leave quickly and tell the waitress that Pakkin is paying for dinner."

Baran: "What does he mean by 'tonight's not the night for presentations'?"

Nekaya: "He said not to bring the laptop and the Power Point. It's not time for that kind of presentation. The caliph hates family video slide shows." 

Baran: "Does Nekaya have any modesty? Ranks in it?"

Erim: "I just say I'll take whatever he (the tailor) thinks is appropriate."

GM: "So the Princess Leia slave girl outfit?"

Erim: "I don't think anybody would want to see that."

Baran: "I just don't look."

Liadan: "I can blind everyone in a line."

Nekaya: "Everyone form a line!"

Baran: "You're aiming too high. I jump up."

Nekaya: "Did I get something to match my feathered blue cloak of charisma?"

GM: "No. But you could have it refitted."

Nekaya: "No, I don't want to make the tailor mad."

GM: "He can do it three times a day."

Nekaya: "What, he can get mad three times a day?"

Baran: "I'm going to stand at the edge of the room and hate people."

GM: "Telemnar, what are you doing?"

Telemnar: "I'm hanging out with Rock. But I'm not hating people."

Liadan: "Rock's all about the hate."

GM: "There are no other humans here except for yourselves."

Telemnar (an elf): "I'm not human."

Nekaya (an aasimar): "I'm not human."

Baran (a dwarf): "I'm not human. Oh, there's our token human." (points to Liadan)

Liadan: "The soup seems a little thin."

Nekaya: "Why are you drinking out of your finger bowl?"

Nekaya: "I'm waiting to smite the guy next to me if he takes the last morsel I want." 

GM: "The caliph has some female efreets with him."

Liadan: "Efreetas."

GM: "Six efreetatas."

 

Liadan: "Does the ring of fire protection protect against spicy food?"

77. Danger at the Dinner Table

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Following this recognition, I found it difficult to keep my mind on the dinner conversation or on my food. Nor could I keep my gaze from straying to Osaze as he passed along the opposite side of the broad table. Baran reminded us on more than one occasion to be wary of attracting the Caliph's attention, but my interest would not be denied. My task was made more difficult by the indifference of my neighbors, who appeared to elect to converse with one another mind-to-mind rather than speak to me or my friends.

Osaze bowed deeply to the Caliph, then moved to serve the individual seated nearest his position. It appeared to me that Osaze was most pleased to be acting as a mere table servant to the efreet. He behaved as though this occupation gave him the utmost contentment. I have never before seen a man who seemed so at peace.

 But he spoke no word as he conducted his service, merely smiling and nodding when Liadan addressed him, and gesturing toward her silver hair to indicate his recognition of her relation to Covenant.

After some little while of this silent acknowledgement by Osaze, the Caliph appeared irritated. For a moment I wondered if perhaps Osaze's silence was by his own choice, to teach the Caliph a salutary lesson in self-restraint. The Caliph, with growing ire, berated Osaze for mistreating his guests, though I could not see how his behavior could be interpreted thus. The efreet threatened then to have the holy man beaten for impertinence.

I felt the eyes of many of the guests upon us at that point, and a strained silence descended upon the table. The Caliph seemed most displeased with Osaze, and perhaps somewhat disappointed, as though something did not meet his expectations. Then two guards began to approach Osaze.

Liadan rose, bowing politely toward the Caliph. Prince Jafar spoke to the Caliph, remarking that the Caliph's behavior was upsetting his guests. Liadan bowed once again and resumed her seat. I began to suspect that the Caliph was a being who could not master his own feelings and let his subjects suffer his whims.

Phaereteim glared at Liadan for a long moment with great distaste and a certain petulance. He then became most solicitous of us. He turned to Osaze and told him that he removed all geases and restrictions from the holy man, asking Osaze, "Am I not generous?"

To this Osaze replied, "A farmer who gives a sheep to a neighbor whose flock he has slain is not generous. Yet he has still done the right thing."

The Caliph glared at Osaze for a moment, then turned to look toward my friends and I. He told us that he saw no danger in permitting us to leave, and that we should conclude our business and depart before it became inconvenient. He gave us his permission to ask our questions of Osaze.

Though I was troubled by the thought of being obliged to speak with him in such a public manner, Liadan did not appear to suffer such fears. As soon as Osaze indicated that he was now able to converse with us, Liadan explained to him that Covenant and his companions had not been heard from for half a year, and we wished to gain access to her father's journal to learn more of what it was that he sought and why.

  

Osaze then replied that Liadan should be capable of accessing the journal in the same manner that her father could. She explained to him that we had already seen Madu el Barake but had not been able to view the journal. Osaze held her hands for a brief moment and told her that she should now be able to reach the journal.

The conversation then turned to information that Osaze would have given to Covenant had they met before Covenant's departure to seek the dragon. He told us that in the history of the Gauntlet of Dawn, it had been charged with energy of light by a Soldier of Light, which we knew to be how certain servants of Elishar are called - Nekaya-Re is one such servant herself. As it seems Osaze is also.

Nekaya-Re then told him of the old blind man we had encountered in Arrabar, who is also such a servant of Elishar. When Osaze had heard this he was pleased that the old man still lived.

He then imparted to us a verse which he had learned, which may be of import to Covenant's quest. I transcribe it here:

"Four of blood

One of sight

Did fill the dawn

In all sun's light"

He explained that the Gauntlet might also be filled with light by gods of light such as Re-Harakhty or Lathander himself. Nekaya-Re told him briefly of our visit to the Twelve Hours of Night. Osaze then recounted to us that according to a story he had discovered, the Gauntlet is bound to a chain, or a chain to the Gauntlet, though he can make little of this information at present.

He was even more perplexed by another passage, which he told us he believed we would use ourselves rather than seeking to pass it on to Covenant.

"Three hands against the Shadows

Who strike from below against heart and magic

Stand still, locked away with a terrible purpose

Defending the dread not-sword

From gate's opening and triumphant return."

He emphasized carefully that the words he spoke were "dread not-sword" and not, as we had previously heard, Sword of the Dreadnaught. This was quite a revelation to all of us. As I considered this, Osaze told us that Covenant's quest had become far more important with the rising of the Shadows such as those we had encountered in Arrabar.

Liadan explained to Osaze that we next intend to visit the dragon to determine what has become of Covenant and his companions. Osaze warned us that the dragon would not be pleased with visitors. He then wished us good fortune in our endeavor, and turned toward the Caliph as though listening to something, though the efreet did not speak aloud.

It became apparent that our conversation was at an end. Our fellow guests began to converse more freely, though they had returned to speaking in their native tongue. Their glances often turned toward my companions and I with greater interest than they had previously shown, but they did not address their words to us.

I found the remainder of the dinner unnerving, for the Caliph continued to watch us with great interest, smiling to himself in a manner that disturbed me. I attempted to distract myself from my discomfort by listening to the tales of the only female efreet seated there, an adventuress of some sort who had been invited to dine after having presented some ancient relic to the Caliph. I pray that my friends will never let me prate on so about my own deeds.

Osaze made one more circuit of the table before we parted, and I spoke with him briefly of my beloved Erendis, whom he knows. I confessed to him then that I feared I should not see her again until we meet in the halls of Arvandor. His faith heartened me.

We took our leave when the other guests retired to another room to hear an epic poem recited. Once we had returned to the rooms where Pakkin awaited us, we prepared the gem to be sent to Prince Jafar - though Baran was doubtful that it was wise for us to give the gem to the prince, wondering if perhaps it might serve us in some future endeavor. But we had made an agreement to present the gem to Jafar, and I agreed with Liadan that perhaps his good will might also serve us in some future endeavor.

We dressed in our ordinary garments and prepared to leave the palace, resolving to return to the inn, gather our possessions, and make our departure from the city with all speed. But before we could make our exit from the palace we were approached by one of Lord Fwaash's associates seeking an audience.

The salamander offered us a different means of egress from the Caliph's lands: safe passage through the Plane of Fire. But he sought for us first to listen to an offer of employment.

Though we were concerned that the capricious Caliph might send his men in pursuit of us, we declined the salamander's offer. As Liadan described it wisely, we feared that our philosophy and theirs would come into conflict. The salamander insisted that this would not be the case, but we none of us felt comfortable accepting service among the creatures of Fire. Liadan bluntly told the salamander that we did not trust his kind, thanked Lord Fwaash for his offer, and the discussion was ended.

When we had given the gem to a servant to deliver to Jafar, we left the palace. Many eyes seemed to follow us as we made our way to the gate. It appeared to me that the number of guards had increased, but they made no move to delay us. I wished greatly that I was astride Aratan, speeding out of the city at a full gallop.

Despite our apprehension, when one of the djanni approached us we paused to speak with him. He asked us if we needed a carriage, then told us where we could meet two carriages a short distance away. The wait seemed long, but no one approached us as we waited and after a time the carriages did arrive to carry us to the lower city.

  

As we arrived at the inn, Baran employed his ability to contact others over long distance to notify Khai that we would be returning to him. We arranged to meet him where we had last seen him. Though it was night, we nonetheless bade the innkeeper farewell. He had already prepared our belongings for our departure.

We asked that the carriages carry us to the edge of the city and proceeded steadily toward the field of fiery pillars. Erim prepared us to resist the rigors of the desert by cloaking us all in an enchantment to protect us from flames. I felt a sense of comfort beneath the light of the moons, though only the red moon was fully in view, casting a blood-tinged light upon the shifting sands.

As the pillars of flame drew nearer, Baran heard something approaching from behind us.

Twenty efreet flew toward us, garbed as soldiers. They surrounded us. The dark sands lit with the sun's rays as Sunshine emerged from within Nekaya-Re's bag. Nekaya-Re called out to them, asking why they approached us.

The efreeti began shouting and brandishing their halberds, obviously attempting to cow us. They began to fire bolts of flame at us. We stood our ground, declining to engage them - though in truth we were not well-equipped for combating flying creatures. Fortunately Erim's spell meant that their flaming bolts did us no harm.

After a few moments, we turned away without response and continued our journey. We proceeded without haste, ignoring the efreeti and their taunts. Baran encouraged us to stay close to him and I felt a sense of inner strength from my friend that fortified my resolve.

Our pursuers were evidently satisfied that we were leaving and lost interest in attempting to attack us. But they continued to follow us for a short time, until we had almost entered the field of pillars. Then they ceased following and returned to the city.

Baran was able to use our previous experience among the pillars to best advantage and we passed among them with relative ease, dodging the attacks of the obsidian pillars and their flaming neighbors and avoiding the gusts of wind that threatened to carry us off. It was not long before we found Khai awaiting us at the peak of a dune.

Praise Corellon, now we may continue to seek my beloved.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quips & Quotes

GM: "Osaze says he's glad to meet the daughter of his best friend.    

Liadan: "I was wondering if he'd know."

GM: "It's the hair."

Baran: "And her father's propensity for fooling around with women."

Erim: "That diary is really a little black book."

Baran: "Okay, so it says, 'blah blah against we're boned, blah blah, we'll never understand this, blah blah blah boned screwed we're so boned blah blah.'"

GM: "Osaze says, 'Your father is a great man. What he did, he did for the light.'"

Erim: "That's what he tells all his girlfriends."

  

GM: "The salamander offers you safe passage through the Plane of Fire."

Telemnar: "But at what price?"

GM: "He'd like you to attend a meeting."
Liadan: "He has these condominiums he'd like to talk to us about…"

Telemnar: "My character died in a prison in the City of Brass, and all I got was this lousy corpse." 

 Baran: "Now I roll crap!"

 Telemnar: "Don't roll crap - roll dice, please."

78. Return to Calimport

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Our return to Calimport was no less dangerous than our journey to the City of Brass. But without tumbling into the eye tyrants' lair it was far less eventful and I will not chronicle our minor travails here.

As we neared the city walls, Khai announced that he would go no further. After a brief handclasp with Baran, he took his leave of us and vanished into the dunes.

Liadan was eager to avail ourselves of an inn after our many days in the desert. I must confess I too looked forward to some measure of comfort that did not involve heat and sand. It was a pleasure to divest myself of the desert garb I had worn for so many days.

Once we had refreshed ourselves, I repaired to the temple of Lathanul to reunite myself with Aratan. I had not realized how much I missed his company until he was in my presence. To my joy he was well and hale, as were my friends' mounts. The priests had cared for them admirably. It is my hope that I will not need to be separated from him again until his brief life comes to its natural conclusion.

Once I had assured myself that my brave steed had not forgotten me during my absence, I rejoined Baran and we accompanied Nekay-Re to the temple of Elishar. We arrived to find that the temple's fortunes had improved while we were away. Though the crowd of supplicants was by no means large, previous to our departure the temple had boasted of few adherents other than the aged high priest Sutan and his family. Now a number of other folk gathered there to celebrate Elishar's light, and the temple walls had been newly whitewashed to reflect the rays of the hot desert sun.

Nekaya-Re happily greeted the high priest and his children and was introduced to two new acolytes who had taken service in the temple before the dawn service began. Sutan appeared to be somewhat infirm and his son Horace performed the ceremony in his stead. After the service the members of the congregation came forward to greet Nekaya-Re and accorded her much respect.

Sutan showed concern when Nekaya-Re told him of Osaze's relationship to Elishar and his current mission in the City of Brass. The concept of sainthood is foreign to me, but I concur with their assessment of Osaze as a living saint.

  

Liadan sent a message to Madu el-Barake to advise him of our return and seek an appointment during which she could attempt to access her father's journal. Madu responded immediately that he was delighted to hear of our arrival, and that he would welcome a visit from us at our earliest convenience. Having arranged to meet him for dinner, we prepared ourselves and took our mounts for a pleasurable ride to his manse.

Our dinner was much smaller and more intimate than our previous dining experience with Madu. We told him in detail of our adventures in the desert and what we had experienced in the city of the efreet. Madu was naturally concerned to hear of the state of the Caliph's army, and asked that we be willing to relate our tale once again to persons of influence of his acquaintance, to which we readily agreed.

Madu had also made some steps toward seeking the release of the elven warrior whose armor I had purchased before our departure. He had succeeded in finding someone who could speak with this man, and had learned a startling piece of information: it is Ruathar Allienthe Mi'Lamber, one of the heroes of Evereska, and he came to this land in search of my wife!

Affairs must be dire indeed in the Hidden Hills if Ruathar has come so far to seek Erendis. It pains me that I cannot go at once to the aid of my homeland. But the information Osaze has given us, and that which is held within Covenant's journal, lead me on another path. I still shall protect my home, but I cannot do so by standing sentry among the great trees.

Sadly Madu has been unable to persuade the slave master to release Ruathar into his care. I would that I could free him myself, but it seems that mere gold is not sufficient, nor would it be right to slay the slaveholder, no matter how offensive I find his deeds. Madu has assured me he will continue to seek some means of releasing Ruathar from his onerous bondage.

When we had dined, Madu escorted us to Osaze's room so that Liadan could open the compartment wherein the holy man kept her father's journals. When she had opened the wards that protected the compartment, she found within it several items of clothing, her father's tattered journal, and a glowing crystalline vial of liquid.

  

The tiny vial proved to be an item of interest, for when Nekaya-Re laid hands upon it she suddenly began to weep. For some moments she would not respond to us and seemed lost in a deep sorrow.

  

Baran gently took the vial from her hand, but it did not affect him in the same manner. When she had recovered her composure she explained that she was convinced that the liquid within the vial was composed of the tears of Elishar.

Once the journal had been removed from the compartment, Liadan replaced the other items and attempted to restore the wards, but found that she was unable to do so. Nekaya-Re attempted to assist her, also without success. Baran then made an effort to contact Osaze by sending him a mental message to ask how the crystal vial should be disposed of or the wards restored, but his effort yielded no reply.

Liadan began to peruse her father's journal, finding it to be filled with a great variety of materials, some scribed by her father and others by Osaze. It will take her some time to determine what writings are of most import to our mission.

I confess I am curious as to what mention the journal may make of my beloved. I miss her so fiercely that any mention of her will bring joy to my heart.

  

As Liadan was unable to restore the wards on the compartment, Nekaya-Re wished to give it into the care of the temple. Baran fears that the temple lacks sufficient defenses to protect it should any effort be made to remove it. He believes that it is better in Nekaya-Re's care. I wondered aloud if perhaps Osaze wished for us to remove the vial and did not mention it because he did not wish for the efreet to hear of it.

  

Liadan then wisely suggested that prayer would be the best method by which to determine the fate of the vial. Nekaya-Re accepted responsibility for the vial for the moment. In the even that Osaze should return in our absence, she placed an explanatory note in the compartment.

Madu offered us lodgings for the evening, but Liadan and Nekaya-Re declined so that they might hold a prayer vigil at the temple. They then made their way to Elishar's fane. I lingered for a time to speak with Madu of Ruathar's situation. My friends, faithful as always, have assured me that they will do whatever they can to aid me in setting him free. I only hope that we will be able to do so before we must make our farewell to Calimport.

Though my lord Corellon is not of the sun, as the moon reached its zenith in the sky I lent my prayers to my friends' efforts in seeking the gods' advice. Let all of our patrons show us the way.

Author's note: by this point in the campaign Telemnar was a 16th level character - 8th level fighter/5th level Tempest prestige class/3rd level Champion of Corellon Larethian prestige class.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quips & Quotes

Telemnar: "The temple of Lathanul doesn't need any remodeling."

GM: "The gold is only an inch thick on the walls!'

GM: "Nekaya was the fire that revitalized the temple."

Telemnar: "We didn't start the fire."

Nekaya: "Nekaya's not that bossy, Mr. Task Leader."

Baran: "Task Master…"

GM: "…bater…"

GM: "You see a worn blue fabric bundle."

Erim: "Does it have a red S on it by any chance?"

GM: "Nekaya starts crying."

Nekaya: (pretending to cry) "I failed my Will save. I never fail my saves."

GM: "Elishar's sitting around wondering why nobody ever calls."

Liadan: "Maybe now that the temple's up and running again he can get some bars on his cell phone."

Baran: "I'm not sure about having such a powerful thing (the vial) less well protected."

Nekaya: "But we don’t really know if it does anything besides make paladins cry."

Baran: "That in itself is awesome."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between sessions, our GM sent us a large amount of additional information that I share here:

"Over the coming days, you have the opportunity to gather and compare what

you know of Covenant's quest with the prophecy snippets you've heard.

Between your conversation and access to some of Covenant's journal, you are

able to piece together quite a bit. (Information missing from the journal

leads you to believe that what you have is not a full copy, just some

highlights.) Reading through the Journal, it is obvious that Covenant did

not understand the depth of Elishar's involvement in all of this.

You gather at the temple of Elishar to piece it all together, and Horace

insists that you use the Inner Chamber (the prophecy chamber) to hold your

discussions. He hopes that a place devoted to knowledge of the Sun God will

help in your understanding.

Below is some of the prophecy you've been given. Below that is the whole

story, as you understand it now. You're getting close to true understanding!

Prophecy snippets

-- "My sword shall be your Dreadnaught, Shaper of your Destiny"

-- "The Iron-Bound Hand shall not bear the Sword, but the Heart it once

protected, shall"

-- "The Hand that Bears the Gauntlet shall not Bear the Sword, but the head

it once protected, shall"

-- "The Sword that Cannot Be Held"

-- "Light guards what shadow must not have. But the Light must take what the

Light defends, lest shadow win all."

-- "Seven and Seven and Seven again, seven to proclaim it, seven to fail.

Seven to accomplish where others but wail."

-- "Seven and Seven, Five and Five, proclaim the Birth, find Him Alive"

-- "Seven of Seven, born in the light; five of five, shadows they fight; One

from the seventh, one of the five; five in the shadows, one found alive"

-- "Light of blue, light of gold; fire red, half-moon gold; splintered

light, fighting bold; lost remembrance, gods foretold"

-- "dark city sky return fire plague five travel shadows sword shadow

engage"

-- "The Light shall be lost in a shadow storm of mortal magic. The gods but

one will undo the damage, but

-- "When mortal hands take what to the gods belong, the first gods will be

lost. By act of the first gods here, all but one shall be found. Mortal

hands bearing immortal gifts shall restore the last."

-- "shadows rise and greatness falls from the shadows of greatness will

shadows fail"

-- "Shall not call it a war of shadow and light, but of light and light;

when soldiers of light turn one on another, shadows prevail until a single

light calls"

-- "...must overcome all of night, in the course of one sun..."

-- "servants of gods, friends of the stars, glory will find the nameless

shapers of destiny in caverns of deepest shadow"

-- "delivered in the gloved hand of bittersweet discovery; fortune and

glory, ally turned against ally, and one shall die"

-- "Three Hands against the Shadow, who strike from below against heart and

magic, stand still, locked away with a terrible purpose, defending the Dread

not-Sword from gate's opening, and triumphant return."

End of the Tale -- buried "temple" above Camber

-- "Striking heart and magic from below. We who remember the young god's

Promise came here to this place."

Start of the Tale:

-- "The legacy of the Dawn Bearer is put here, in it's truth, for the

remembrance of all. The pagan ramblings that existed here before have been

recorded and placed in the Solaris Vault. We begin now with the Truth."

"Through the Dawn, the Messenger strides. the DawnStrider, child of Radiant

Emergence. And this One, Renewed, shall be welcomed in all of the Houses of

the Sun. For when the Day arrives, when the Time of Shadows Lifting comes to

pass, the Golden One, the Messenger, will end all things"

From Tyrion Sinistral:

"Injustice! Constructed by immortal artefact, not divine.

This question cannot be answered by cosmic being,

For this place is hidden from cosmic sight;

Mortal eyes must find the way.

Spirit and form sundered one from another.

Great injustice to the Elf Lord, who has not collected his due.

Greatness is measured in deed and intent, And only in the Shadows of

Greatness will you find your answer."

The Reveal:

The Sword of the Dreadnaught may be Elishar's sword, reportedly thrown out

into the world to protect his faithful while he was away. It is said that

the Sword cannot be held, though, so perhaps it is not a real blade.

Regardless, prophecy says that the Sword will defend against a great evil --

a great shadow that falls over the world.

That shadow seems to be the return of the Shades. They were once great

wizards who ruled the now-fallen empire of Netheril. Their ancient enemies,

the phaeretim, were a three-armed race of beings that lived below ground.

They attacked from below, spreading disease and weakening magic itself.

Arguably, their involvement lead to the city of Shade being cast out into

the Plane of Shadow. Now, thousands of years later, that city has returned.

We next move half a world away, where the Imaskari have pierced the veil

between worlds to capture hundreds of thousands of human slaves from another

realm. The Mulan. For better or worse, though, these people had gods.

In the same moment, Elishar was brought into this world and cast out again

as he followed his lost peoples. Supposedly, he and the Mulan under his care

are still alive, lost, or locked away from this realm. An obscure piece of

prophecy says that the Dawnstrider will walk out of Elishar's realm, and

behind him will be all creatures of Light. Another says that the Sword of

Elishar is a gate to where he now resides.

There were some who believed in Elishar, but were not lost. Those of the

Mulan who truly believed in Elishar tried to keep his faith active in the

world and prepared for his return. The strongest of these were called

Soldiers of Light, and bear within themselves Elishar's light.

Four brothers, perhaps the original Soldiers of Light, set out from ancient

lands. They created a temple in what is now called the Cloven Mountains,

where they captured all of the light in their hand and held it for a day and

a night. This let many evils into the world. This light, or the vessel that

contained it, is referred to as the Gauntlet of Dawn, and is a necessary

component to finding the Sword of the Dreadnaught. How it is to help,

though, none now know.

Once they had the gauntlet, the four brothers were at odds as to how to

continue. They went their seperate ways. One came to Calimport and built

another temple to Elishar, which is where you stand today. It is said that

when these four brothers parted ways, they each created a different faction

within the Soldiers of Light. Over the centuries Elishar's true wishes have

been re-interpreted by these various factions. Osaze, for example, is a

Soldier of Light (though he considers that to be a lesser title behind

priest of Lathander), who has tasked himself with removing evil from the

world so that they will not contribute to the Final Battle. Nekaya, on the

other hand, seeks to keep Elishar's light in the world while looking for the

lost god.

The Gauntlet of Dawn went north, where it was lost for many years. (A ruined

temple in Cormyr was connected to the temple in the Cloven Mountains.

Perhaps this is where one of the brothers ended up?) The Gauntlet turned up

again in hell, in the treasure trove of a duke of the lower planes. When

this duke decided that he did not want to rule in hell, he fled to a place

where he could live the rest of his days in privacy. This duke was

Sussurathrax, the abyssal dragon. Osaze heard of this great evil slumbering

under the realms and went to him to convert him away from evil. He was held

by the dragon an questioned endlessly. Covenant heard of Osaze's

imprisonment and went to rescue the great man. Between the two of them, they

converted Sussurathrax away from evil, but they were told never to return.

The great dragon would give up his evil ways, but wanted nothing more than

his privacy.

Many years later, Covenant was deep into his quest to uncover the Sword of

the Dreadnaught. He had heard that the Gauntlet of Dawn would lead to the

Sword, then learned later that the Gauntlet was part of Sussurathrax's

hoarde. Gathering his friends together one last time to finish his quest, he

went to speak to the dragon. He hoped to trade a powerful artifact for the

Gauntlet, knowing that Sussurathrax wanted his privacy, but believing that

he could convince the dragon of his needs.

Covenant and his friends were never heard from again.

You know from the journal that scrying of any type does not work on the

dragon nor on his demesnes. Teleportation and planar travel is likewise

barred somehow. The knowledgeable amongst you might reason that any who were

imprisoned within the halls of the dragon would be completely unreachable

through magic. If it were some artifact that kept sight from piercing that

realm, then perhaps it is powerful enough to even block a god's vision.

Assuming such a thing is possible, then perhaps the artifact that keeps

interplanar travel from happening is keeping the souls of the dead from

reaching their final destination. (See Tyrion's prophecy.) That is a thought

too horrifying to contemplate, though.

Covenant's journal hints that he knows how to find the Sword of the

Dreadnaught, but thinks that the Gauntlet of Dawn is key to it's uncovery."