[Dungeons & Dragons 3.5] Shadows of Greatness, parts 71 - 75

71. Pillars of Fire (June 15, 2007)

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As we gazed in awe at the plain on which the efreet's palace lay, Khai explained to my friends and I that the Caliph in fact had more than one palace, but only one was his true palace. Though we could not see it from where we stood, a small town lay about the palace, occupied by many folk half of djinni blood to whom the Caliph had given refuge. Some of the desert tribes also gave the efreet their fealty.

According to the lore of Calimshan, the great Calim for whom the land is named lies beneath this desert, imprisoned there for aeons, though he still carries on his war with his rival Memnon even from his prison of earth. The heat of the fiery pillars that lay below us was reputed to be the flames of Calim's wrath.

Khai informed us that he had vowed never again to set foot upon that awesome plain, to which we responded that we would not ask him to lead us any further. We were already most grateful to him for his guidance thus far. But we had come to the plain several hours into the day, and we determined that we did not wish to make our foray onto that plain until we had fully rested and prepared with the aid of our gods.

On the following day we said our farewell to Khai, who had promised to wait a full two months before turning his back on us.We then girded ourselves as best we could against the heat and flames and set off toward the mirage-like vision of the palace we had observed on the previous day.

Liadan and Erim had both prepared spells that would lead us toward the true palace, and so we proceeded as directly as we could past the obstacles that the pillars provided. We had already observed that the pillars of flame appeared to move about like whirlwinds on the sands, and Khai had advised us that in some places between the fiery pillars the air formed currents that could lift a man off his feet. 

The heat of the plain was oppressive despite the protections provided us by magic. It was as I would imagine it to be should I set foot in the heart of a volcano. Nekaya-Re grew anxious at once, sensing some evil that was as oppressive to her as the heat was to me. I observed that the pillars of flame contained a dark heart unlike any ordinary fire of my experience. No such heart could be seen in the obsidian pillars of course, but I felt that they radiated the same sense of menace. They resembled a flame that had somehow been frozen in stone. And the sand beneath our feet appeared glassy, as though it had been melted then ground to sand again and then melted once more, over and over throughout the ages.

Amid the pillars we found that our sight was confused by the waves of heat rising from the fires. Had it not been for the spell Lathander granted to Liadan we might have become hopelessly lost. And though we took greatest care we were unable to avoid some of the pitfalls of the plain. After some hours Liadan and Erim were swept up by one of the currents of hot air and lifted aloft. Erim was able to regain the ground immediately, but the air began to carry Liadan away from us.

Baran drew out his spool of never-ending rope and flung the free end into the maelstrom, hoping that Liadan would be able to catch hold of it. But the rope was so  buffeted about that she was unable to grasp it. Erim then made a prodigious leap and bounded up into the air current, catching the rope and Liadan as well. He wound the rope about them both and the remainder of us drew them down.

Baran then began to assiduously seek out these air currents that we might avoid them. By his guidance we were able to avoid being caught up in such a maelstrom again. But the desert held other dangers for us. Some while after we had escaped being borne aloft one of the obsidian pillars suddenly lashed out at us with its sharp shards!

Liadan instantly summoned a blast of frigid air to attack the pillar in response, though it seemed to have little effect on our strange foe. Seeing that we were surrounded by many pillars that might also turn against us, I called out to her that perhaps we should rather depart as quickly as we might rather than attempt to combat the obsidian pillar. I was gratified when my friends agreed with my reasoning and began to retreat from the pillar.

But as we drew away, a pillar of flame nearby began to pursue us. A tongue of flame shot out of the pillar and struck me, scorching me badly as I came behind my companions. Liadan ran to the opposite side of the obsidian column rather than remaining with the rest of our group, and was caught up by another air current and lifted aloft once more.

Nekaya-Re drew a javelin and hurled it at the obsidian, which then lashed out at Baran. I left my swords in their sheaths and broke into a run. The fire sent out another limb of flames to strike Pakkin. To the opposite side of the black pillar Liadan called upon Lathander's aid to float herself to the sand. The black stuff chose not to turn on her then, but to instead strike Baran again.

I dodged between the two threatening pillars, the fire pursuing me with alarming speed. It swallowed up Pakkin entirely, but the courageous goblin emerged a moment later scorched but relatively unharmed. The black stuff then struck me, leaving me with numerous small wounds that bled profusely.

As I attempted to defend myself against the stone, the fire turned its attention to Nekaya-Re. Within the blink of an eye the fire had swallowed up both Nekaya-Re and Pakkin. I could see nothing of them.

But as quickly as they had been engulfed, I then heard through our enchanted rings a joyful cry from Nekaya-Re and both she and her small comrade burst free of the pillar just as its flames went still and turned to black.

We stood for a moment catching our breath and both Liadan and Nekaya-Re called upon their gods to heal my wounds. The other pillars surrounding us made no move toward us. Our caution further heightened by this experience, we resumed our journey, taking pains to pass no nearer to the pillars than we must, though in the hot air of the plain distances were difficult to determine.

At last we seemed to have reached the end of the plain of pillars and stepped out of the infernal heat. As we did so we encountered a huge creature made all of fire. Not seeking to struggle with it, we attempted to circumvent it, but the creature began to follow us. Strangely it seemed to make some noise which might have been speech, though in no tongue any of us knew.

Nekaya-Re, with her curious boundless optimism, spoke to the fire elemental and told it that we had come peacefully seeking audience with the efreet. This appeared to have no effect on the creature, and it continued its efforts to block our attempt to pass. Each time we moved to cross its path it would crouch and its fires would flare brightly.

Nekaya-Re attempted to speak with it again to no avail. As this exchange continued it occurred to me that I held something in my possession that might make some impression upon the creature. I stood before it, making no threatening gesture, and drew Brimstone slowly from his sheath, calling out his name to bring his flames to life. I then saluted the creature with the fiery blade.

As I did so the creature's own fires flared once more. Then behind the elemental appeared another being, this one resembling the description I had heard of how an efreet appears. As this efreet stepped through the curtain of heat around us, he demanded to know why we were there and remarked, "You are far from where you should be."

Liadan replied that we sought the Caliph's guest. The efreet laughed and answered that the Caliph had many guests enjoying tortures in his palace. He threatened us with such tortures as well. Liadan then offered him treasures in exchange for his assistance in reaching the palace. He showed some interest in this offer. Liadan brought out several valuable gems she carried to display for him, and he then approached where we all stood. As he drew nearer to us we recognized as one that the being we saw was not real, merely a magical projection of some sort.

As this realization dawned upon us I heard a threatening cry from behind us...

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Quips & Quotes:

GM: "The beholder can hold his monocle on with the squinky part of his eye."

Liadan (singing the Slinky theme): "The squinky, the squinky, it holds the monocle on..."

GM: "The books were about phylacteries and creating undead."

Nekaya: "Better Living Through Necromancy!"

Nekaya: "This ring summons a huge monstrous centipede. Let's give it to Pakkin."

GM (as Pakkin): "I'm not hungry."

Erim: "Don't enrage the fire."

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

GM: "The fire elemental looks angry."

Nekaya: "Maybe it's hungry."

Telemnar: "Maybe it's hot."

72. The City of Brass

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One of my companions had asked the illusory efreet if anything geniune might be found here, meaning where the efreet stood, to which the image replied, "No, not here." It was then that we heard the cry from behind us. The shout resembled a war cry. I turned to see that several creatures had appeared from beyond the curtain of heat through which we had just come. Three of them appeared Man-like but with features resembling the illusory efreet with whom we had been conversing. But two were reptilian in appearance and wreathed in flames, wielding immensely long fiery spears.

 A blast of flame shot from one of the reptilian creatures, engulfing us all, but though we were singed no one took any great hurt from it. Then the fire elemental that had been barring our way turned on us and set Baran aflame. As I saw this I also observed that a second efreet had appeared near our foes, this one seemingly more solid than the illusion that still stood immobile before us. This second arrival called out to our first foes, "Singe their flesh, burn their bones, take their treasure as my own!"

Beside me, Erim chanted the words of a spell and laid his hand on my arm, telling me that his enchantment would protect me somewhat from the ravages of fire. I smiled at him in gratitude and turned to wield my blades against the elemental. I did not extinguish Brimstone's flames, though I knew that such creatures would have no vulnerability to them.

From behind me I caught a glimpse of a dazzling ray of sunlight shooting from Liadan's position toward the efreet that had just appeared. He turned and began to make his way off into the plain of pillars, vanishing into the heat haze. One of the lizard-like creatures, which I am told are called salamanders, hurled another ball of flames at my position, surrounding Nekaya-Re and Baran as well as myself. The elemental then struck me. Erim's spell resisted its flames, but the strength of its blow still wounded me.

Baran began to wield his grandsire's hammer against the elemental while I continued to slash at its fiery body with my swords. Heartened by Erim's aid, I chose to remain close to it and concentrate my attacks upon one point. This proved more effective than I had anticipated, for under our onslaught the elemental flickered out like a blown-out lamp flame.

One of the Man-like creatures, which are called djanni, lifted into the air and fired his bow at me, then drifted lightly to the sand. I could see that one of the salamanders had thrust its fiery spear at Erim, which he reacted to by murmuring the spell that turns his flesh to stone. At the same moment Baran struck the salamander a mighty blow with his hammer. Nekaya-Re then followed his example with her glowing hakra and the salamander slumped to the ground.

I moved to oppose the djanni who had attacked me, leaping with with both blades. He stepped back to put himself out of my immediate reach. The second salamander, seeing the fate of its companion, began to withdraw from the struggle.

Then a third efreet appeared, looking very similar to the one who had fled a moment before, though I do not believe it was the same. It called out to us, "Hold your spells and your blades! This fight is over. You have proved your might."

We sheathed our weapons and turned to treating our wounds, as did the djanni. The fallen salamander was attended most courteously by the djanni, though I sensed that they also teased it for having succumbed to our attacks, but I could not comprehend their words. The efreet introduced himself to us as Kazareem and explained that he would escort us to the City of Brass. This announcement somewhat concerned Erim, who feared that we were to be taken to another plane of existence. But it soon became apparent that this was merely the name by which the efreet called the Caliph's residence.

As we proceeded toward the city, Liadan expressed to Kazareen the purpose of our visit to the Caliph and explained to him that we did not wish to disturb the Caliph at all but only to speak to one of his guests. Kazareem found this amusing and began to expound upon the "hospitality" the Caliph extends to his guests at some length. He appeared to take great delight in describing the tortures Phaereteim subjects his prisoners to.

The efreet also told us at length of the army the Caliph has been assembling for centuries with which to take back mastery of Calimshan. Being even longer-lived than my people, the efreeti have no sense of urgency in their plans. Evidently they also have no fear of defeat, for Kazareem appeared not to be concerned that we might convey this information to the sultan of Calimshan. Or perhaps he believed that the Caliph would slay us or hold us prisoner.

The djanni and salamanders had left us when Kazareem joined us, but as we emerged onto a barren plain of blasted sand they reappeared and set off in a slightly different direction than that which our guide took toward the Brass Palace. The palace was still partly obscured by the shimmering haze of heat, though I found the blasted plain notably cooler than the plain of fiery pillars.

The palace appeared quite suddenly before us in its full majesty. It stands surrounded by massive white walls, resting on a great plateau of black stone. A small city has grown up about it, inhabited not only by many folk related to the denizens of the Plane of Fire, but also by desert tribesmen who give their allegiance to the Caliph. Many of the residents of this city are soldiers in the Caliph's army.

Kazareem led us to a wayhouse where we might find rest and water. He had already told us that the folk here follow the same rules of hospitality as the people of Calimport, so that we did not fear too greatly for our safety in his care. When he had shown us the wayhouse he departed. We were given two rooms and offered water by the proprietor of the wayhouse, who appeared to my eyes to be an ordinary Man. This wayhouse lies in a district of the town that is not of highest quality, but it is not an unpleasant establishment.

We spent our first day in the city resting, for we were truly weary after our journey across the Plain of Fire. Much discussion took place in the privacy of our rooms regarding how we should proceed. I think that Liadan would have liked to storm the palace and attempt a rescue of Osaze, but of course she recognized that such an action was unlikely to succeed. And in any case we all felt certain that, despite the terrible tortures Kazareem had described, Osaze Mumbai would not seek to be rescued.

On the following day we decided to explore the city and gather as much information as we could regarding Osaze's position and how we might gain permission to speak with him. This place is not one in which I would like to remain for long. Though it is a wealthy city, it is harsh and militaristic. We were appalled to discover than prisoners are staked out in the sun to die slowly, tended by family members who are expected to keep them alive as long as possible. Should the prisoners die before the end of six days their family members must take their places. Some of the family members we observed carrying out this duty were merely children. We would all have liked very much to assist them, but could find no way to do so without further threatening their lives or the success of our quest. I pray that Corellon will grant me some power to aid them.

In the course of our exploration we came upon a man who told us much of what befalls Osaze at the palace, at least such as is known by the citizens of the city who are not permitted to visit the palace themselves. The Caliph appears to have a strange attitude toward the holy man, such that it encourages concern from his subjects. He alternately tortures and punishes Osaze and treats him like an honored guest. He is reputed to sometimes heed the holy man's advice, which is greatly offensive to his nobles.

I am eager to meet Osaze, for I wish to speak with a man of such faith that he can withstand terrible tortures and sway the mind of such an evil being as the efreet. I can only hope that I will achieve such fortitude when many more years have passed. Lord Corellon has seen fit to bless us with an opportunity to at least see Osaze, perhaps, for we have received not one but two invitations to appear at the palace!

We must proceed with caution, however, for these invitations come from individuals who no doubt wish to curry favor with one another or the Caliph. We must not let ourselves become pawns in the machinations of the efreet's court.

  

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Quips & Quotes:

GM: "The efreet speaks in rhyme."
Baran: "He's a hip-hot artist!"

GM: "If somebody offers you a can of flaming... something, take it!"

Baran: "They call it 'light' ale."

Baran: "He'll tell two efreets, and they'll tell two efreets, and so on, and so on..."

73. New Friends - and New Enemies

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It was with some trepidation that Liadan broke the clay seals on the two scrolls we had received and reviewed their contents. We were still uncertain of our reception in the city of the efreeti.

The two missives proved to be nothing more than they appeared: invitations from nobles of the Caliph's court. Our host informed us that they came from two lesser princes, captains of the Caliph's army, by the names of Fasir and Loka Poshk. Unfortunately Loka Poshk's message was written in the native tongue of the Plane of Fire, which none of us could read at that point. But Fasir had written in the common tongue. His flowery message requested our presence for tea at some point within the next three days. He also recommended a specific scribe by whom we could send our response.

We did not know whether we should accept either invitation - for we presumed that Loka Poshk's message contained a similar request - and we determined that we should garner more information about these two captains before making our decision. Liadan then asked our host if he knew of an alehouse or wine shop where we might find folk likely to be familiar with these two worthies. He suggested a likely location.

The nighttime streets of the City of Brass are not as busy as those of Calimport, though similar in many respects. Finding the evening air cooler, we determined that it would be wise to don our armor. Erim then surrounded us with magics of fire protection, as that is a common hazard here. We then proceeded to the establishment recommended to us. We found that we were better armed and armored than the other guests, though not as nicely attired.

Our arrival naturally drew some attention, for most of the other guests were djanni. But as we could not understand their speech we did not know if the attention we provoked was unfriendly. There were no empty tables available and we were seated with two humans and a djanni.

Fortunately they spoke the common tongue and were not averse to conversing with us. Nekaya and Liadan took the lead in these, being the most accomplished conversationalists among our party. They made no pretense of disguising our reason for visiting the City of Brass. Our table-mates described for us several individuals they knew of as guests of the Caliph, but Osaze Mumbai was not among the names they mentioned. When Liadan made mention of him they responded by describing him as a prisoner and were amused that she had referred to him as a guest of the Caliph. But they were aware of him as a holy man, and questioned Liadan regarding what made him so admirable to us. She then proceeded to tell them the story Madu el Barake had told us of Osaze's visit to the dragon. She also told them of the invitations we had received, to which they made a curious suggestion: they recommended that we publicly burn the invitations, to draw the attention of the two captains' enemies, for they judged that both captains were unimportant and their enemies were much more likely to be worth meeting.

While this conversation proceeded, Baran and I observed something peculiar occurring at the table nearest ours. A servant had been summoned there and the patrons at the table made some remarks to him while looking intently at our group. The servant then smiled in a most disturbing manner, staring at us all the while, and hurried out of the establishment.

Though we could not understand their words, Baran is an accomplished mimic and was able to repeat what they had said to Erim, whose magic enabled him to comprehend it. They had spoken of someone named Kamaree who evidently had some interest in us. Nekaya-Re then asked our companions of this Kamaree. They explained that he was another captain of the Caliph's army and was known to have a fierce temper, but they knew little else.

We lingered for a time at the table, anticipating that the servant who had departed had gone to fetch this Captain Kamaree, but when no one arrived we at last bade our farewells to our table-mates and made our way back toward the wayhouse. We soon detected that someone was following us, flying above the streets as so many of the city's denizens are able to do. We determined that he was indeed pursuing us by making several unnecessary changes of direction, pretending to have lost our way.

Baran then turned toward the flying individual and demanded to know for what purpose he followed us. This person, who we observed was well armored and bearing both sword and bow, then alit upon the street and asked our names. Baran demanded to know his name first. He introduced himself as Thusal and claimed that his pursuit had been due to curiosity. But Erim had recognized the crest he wore as associating him with Kamaree and asked why Kamaree had sent him.

Liadan then asked Thusal what he knew of Fasir and Loka Poshk. Thusal spoke disparagingly of Loka Poshk as a captain and explained that Fasir was an administrator of sorts.  He then recommended that if we wished to have any chance of seeing Osaze Mumbai we should make the acquaintance of Prince Jafar, who had charge of the Caliph's dungeons. He told us that the Prince had an interest in weaponry, particularly magical weapons. Thusal then escorted us to our wayhouse and bade us good evening.

On the following morning, Lathander granted Liadan the ability to read the message from Loka Poshk for herself, which confirmed that it was much the same as Fasir's invitation. But we determined that we still lacked sufficient information to decide how to respond. We realized that it might be worthwhile to follow Thusal's suggestion and seek audience with Prince Jafar, for it seemed much more likely that this could gain us access to Osaze than having tea with two lesser nobles who were reputedly not in good standing in the court. Liadan had also realized that we held in our keeping an item that might be of interest to the Prince:  a curious blade we had found in the beholder temple, designed to be wielded by an eye tyrant by holding it in its mouth.

We made our way out into the city to contact a scribe who could write a message to Prince Jafar on our behalf. As we traveled we discovered that Captain Kamaree had evidently been spreading unflattering rumours about us. We learned that his ire had apparently been roused because the efreet that Liadan's magic had blinded was his cousin. Liadan then suggested that she might offer to heal the other efreet's blindness, but Erim remarked that such an offer might be considered too conciliatory. Instead, after having our offer to Prince Jafar transcribed, Liadan dictated a message to Kamaree in an effort to make peace with him without appearing weak or condescending.

After some hours spent examining the wares available in the city, we repaired to an eating establishment of very high standards suggested to us by our host at the wayhouse. We were the only patrons not of efreet-kind. Once again we found ourselves seated with strangers, this time two blue-skinned djinni. I had not understood the differences between all of these folk until I met these two gentelpersons. While djanni are those half of efreet blood and half of human blood, djinni are denizens of the Plane of Air. These two were servants of Minister Halashahn, ambassador of the djinni to the Caliph's court.

Our fellow guests were most pleasant and willing to converse on all manner of topics. When told of our desire to see Osaze Mumbai, they explained that they had met him at the Caliph's court and been greatly impressed by his skill at oratory. Though they knew that he had spoken for the benefit of all present, each person who heard him speak had felt as though he spoke to them alone.

They asked us to tell them of our journey to the city, for it was apparent to them that we are not ordinary folk. Liadan then regaled them with the tale of our crossing of the desert and our battles with the whirling columns of fire and obsidian. She also described our adventure in the eye tyrant's stronghold beneath the sands. When she mentioned her father they recognized his name and commented upon the quantity of heroic deeds credited to him. They in turn appeared to be most friendly toward us, and told us that they wished they could aid us in achieving our goal of seeing Osaze, though they knew not how to achieve this. They did offer their aid in gaining an introduction to Prince Jafar, however, for which we were most grateful.

Following this pleasant meal, we returned once more to the wayhouse to find a message awaiting us. This time the missive came from Kamaree, who requested that we meet him at Whitefire Gardens on the following day at noon. Erim observed that the request was stated in the tone of a demand rather than an invitation. He also noted that Whitefire Gardens is located within the grounds of the royal palace!

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Quips & Quotes:

Baran: "Are we going in fireball formation or lightning bolt formation?"

Erim: "I prefer lightning bolt - it sounds faster."

Erim: "Okay, I'll regret this, but I'll prepare animate rope today."

GM: "Did you take rope trick?"

Erim: "I don't have that spell."

Baran: "Because you have to know how to animate the rope to get it to do tricks."

Erim: "Yeah, you have to be able to get it up before it will do its thing."

Erim: "I have darkvision to 60 feet. How close is the flying guy?"

GM: "65 feet."

GM: "It seems that the deeds credited to Covenant couldn't have been performed by just one man."

Baran: "Or that many women credited to just one man."

Erim: "The djinni flew in by Plane. It wasn't even first class."

74. The Court of Sunless Souls

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As we prepared to meet Captain Kamaree in the palace gardens, we took our time to make ourselves presentable for such an auspicious visit. Liadan attired herself as a priestess of the Morninglord, with her shield polished to a high shine to reflect the rays of the sun. She had spent all of that morning saying prayers to her deity.

We inquired of our host at the wayhouse how far away the palace lay and felt it prudent to hire two carriages to transport us. It was no swifter than our feet would have been, but at the least we would arrive less weary and dusty for our appointment.

The Caliph's palace in the City of Brass is a vast structure surrounded by massive whitewashed walls. The palace proper bears a great dome of highly polished brass that glows in the intense light of the sun in Calimshan's desert. Above us we saw many flying figures, for all those residents of the city who are related to the efreeti or djinni are capable of flight, it seems, though some satisfy themselves with flying astride winged creatures or upon flying carpets.

Upon disembarking from our carriages at the immense gate, we were made to wait some little while in the heat of the sun. The Caliph's guards appeared to hold some disdain for mere creatures of this mortal realm. But at last two guards came to fetch us and escorted us through a maze of gardens to the Court of Sunless Souls, where we were to meet with our host.

I confess I cannot truly think of the Caliph's gardens as such, for they lacked any hint of greenery, being made entirely of patterned stones. In this place I feel most keenly my separation from my verdant homeland in the Hidden Hills.

The Court of Sunless Souls is also one such of the Caliph's empty gardens, though I have seen no other that contains such a curious mosaic upon its floor. Before us lay a pattern in the likeness of Faerun's seven moons, with Selune at its center. But we perceived at once that the surface of the likeness of Selune was unlike the others, for it rippled and shifted with curious energies. I found it disturbing.

Evidently my companions also found this representation unpleasant to behold, for all of us avoided crossing that portion of the court in our progress toward a low table that stood on the opposite side. It seemed a very mean table to be found on the palace grounds, for upon it sat only a simple clay pitcher and cups, appearing to contain nothing but water. I should have been glad of a sip of cool fresh water in this land of unbearable heat, but some presentiment of danger kept us all from drinking.

The guards who had guided us to the court withdrew beyond a set of gates and we waited patiently for our host to present himself. But when at last the side gates opened with some fanfare, the efreet who entered did not meet with the image of a captain I had formed in my mind. He appeared rather soft of limb and was elaborately garbed in a manner not befitting a military officer.

This efreet introduced himself not as Kamaree, but as Fasir, the administrator who had previously extended an invitation to us. He told us that Kamaree had been called away on the Caliph's business and he had come to greet us to see why we had attracted the captain's attention.

Once introductions had been made, Liadan and Nekaya-Re spoke openly of our desire to speak with Osaze Mumbai. To this Fasir remarked that he had known of others who came seeking audience with Osaze, but none who had come from beyond the Pillars of Fire.

As Erim questioned the efreet on the nature of his interest in us, Baran indicated that he had heard a noise from beyond the walls of the courtyard. The main gates through which we had entered suddenly flew open, revealing a large silhouette. My eyes were so dazzled by the brilliant glare of the sun that I could see only a dark shape seemingly equipped with many arms.

Fasir appeared startled by this interruption and I heard him exclaim, "Oh, my!". He then took flight and rose above the courtyard. As my eyes followed him I saw a scarlet cloud looming above. A huge efreet, ten times my height, bent over the wall and stared down at us, wearing an unpleasant smile.

The shadowy thing that had appeared at the gate slid forward into the courtyard, revealing itself as a serpentine creature with six arms and six glowing azure eyes. Two chains depended from a collar at its neck, leading out beyond the gate into the grasp of two handlers. Then the chains went slack.

Erim murmured some occult phrases directed at the creature, but it did not react and I saw him frown with disappointment. Baran unslung his grandfather's hammer and hurled it at the monstrous creature. It struck with a mighty force. I began to move around the opposite side of the creature, taking care not to set foot on the representation of Selune. It continued to make me uneasy. The Moonbow would be sorry to see the moons she loves so misused.

The monster raised one of its many limbs, revealing that it wore blades strapped to each arm, and struck at Baran with one. Liadan ran to the center of the largest moon, heedless of its weirdness, and shouted angrily at the huge efreet overhead, "What is the meaning of this?", to which the efreet did not reply.

As Liadan stood on the strange silvery surface of the moon and began to pray to Lathander, some energies began to climb up her legs. It was as though hands reached out to grasp at her. But when she had released the magic of her prayer they retreated.

Now that the creature had shown itself a threat, Nekaya-Re rushed it with her hakra. I heard Fasir call out to us, "Best of luck to you, my friends!" as he departed. But my attention was on the creature.

Pakkin ran behind it to flank it with his spear. I moved nearer, though I had yet to draw my swords. Erim once more attempted to touch it with magic, but it seemed to resist the energies of his spells.

The gates thudded shut as the efreeti who had brought the creature closed them. Liadan came to stand to my right, crying, "This is not over!" toward the efreeti outside. She also attempted to affect the monster with magic to no effect.

Erim flew behind the monster and called out to Pakkin that it could only be harmed by cold iron, for Pakkin's spear can assume the properties of any metal. The creature meanwhile slithered forward and struck everyone but Liadan with its arm blades.

I drew my swords and attempted to destroy one arm blade, but it deflected my strike. When my following blows injured the creature's flesh, I could see said reptilian hide knitting again at once.

Liadan cried another prayer to the Morninglord and suddenly grew in stature, shining brightly and taking on a resemblance to likenesses of her god. I heard Erim recite the now-familiar phrase that grants us all great swiftness. Baran's features took on the look of cold fury I recognize so well as he struck the creature three massive blows of his hammer.

Liadan too brought her mace down on the creature with great force and I saw the monster begin to weaken. I slashed it several times with both Brimstone and Sulian, though I had chosen not to waken Brimstone's flames, expecting such a creature to be immune to them. Then Nekaya-Re stepped forward twirling her hakra once more, and the monster slumped to the courtyard floor in a heap.

Fasir, it seemed, had not entirely departed the area, for I now saw him hovering above, abasing himself before the huge efreet. I began to suspect the identity of our witness and suppressed a surge of apprehension.

Liadan was not cowed by the presence of such an illustrious audience. She turned to the efreet and said courteously but with controlled anger, "Your majesty, we request an audience with Osaze Mumbai."

For the first time the huge efreet reacted to her words, growling, "What you ask is not done" with some heat, if my feeble pun may be forgiven.

At this point the gates burst open again and another efreet in martial garb entered, whom I had little doubt was the individual we had come to meet. He flew across the courtyard with such fury that he would have run me down had I not hastily stepped aside.

Fasir, who was staring down at the creature we had just slain, murmured something interrogative about it, to which the Caliph replied that it was indeed the pet of some personage whose name I did not recognize. Having satisfied his curiosity, Fasir now appeared to consider himself dismissed and made his exit.

Kamaree then glared at Liadan and demanded that he be permitted justice by sword. To this the Caliph responded, "You may have your blood, but take it tomorrow" and moved away.

When the Caliph had departed, Kamaree fiercely demanded that Liadan be present at the same courtyard on the morrow at noon to duel him. He attempted to intimidate her with his flying about and looming overhead, but she was not awed.

Baran then remarked that it seemed dishonorable to him to use another person's pet to settle his grudge, and that it was equally petty of him to hold such a grudge against Liadan when his cousin had been bested in equal combat.

Kamaree appeared to ignore this comment at first, but when I joined my words to my friend's remarks to agree that I thought him cowardly, he was able to restrain his anger only by obvious force of will and flew away.

We took our leave of the Court of Sunless Souls then, staring sorrowfully at the representation of Selune as we did so, for we now felt certain that it held the imprisoned souls of some victims of the Caliph's tortures.

As we made our way back toward the palace gates, we were suddenly surrounded by a hot wind. Then a figure appeared, not one of the Caliph's fiery folk but one of the blue-skinned denizens of the Plane of Air, such as those we had encountered at the eating house. This one, however, was the ambassador Halashahn himself come to greet us.

Halashahn was as courteous and friendly as his two associates had been. He invited us to join him in his rooms and offered us the services of a cleric in his entourage to minister to our wounds. Though we accepted his hospitality, Liadan nevertheless extended to us her healing circle, so that by the time we reached the ambassador's chambers only Baran remained injured.

When we were seated and offered fruit and wine, the ambassador's priest cured the remainder of Baran's hurts, and Halashahn offered kindly to let us spend the night with him rather than return to the wayhouse before Liadan's duel with Kamaree. He also described for us the rituals surrounding such a duel, so that Liadan would not be accused of improper behavior.

Erim was uncomfortable with permitting the ambassador's servants to gather his belongings from the wayhouse, so it was arranged that later he would go there himself to fetch them, accompanied by Halashahn's guards in the event that Kamaree plotted some treachery.

Once this had been agreed upon, our conversation turned to Osaze Mumbai. Halashahn told us that Osaze was indeed having an effect upon the Caliph. The Caliph is very jealous of his prize, and it seems that he might fear anyone whom he would suspect of depriving him of Osaze's counsel.

We assured the ambassador that we have no wish to interrupt Osaze's mission, nor do we believe that he would permit himself to be removed from the City of Brass - but it is possible that when we tell him of Covenant's absence he may change his mind. We did not explain our own purpose to the ambassador beyond telling him that we wish to speak with Osaze on a personal matter.

Halashahn then told us a story of some interest, which was clearly connected to his own purpose in visiting Calimshan. This tale told of an army of 1,001 demons that had been formed to capture the Caliph and imprison him in a bottle. But as the demons were about to complete a powerful ritual to bind the efreet they themselves were imprisoned within an orb, which the Caliph then sealed with spells and wards in the deepest dungeon of his palace.

Halashahn assured us that the tale was true, and that he knew the location of the orb of demons. The demons had been captured when they were only a single word from completing the ritual to bind the Caliph. Should someone be able to free the orb and release the demons, the Caliph would fall.

To this I felt compelled to remark that I should have no desire to release an army of 1,001 demons upon the world. Halashahn, who appears to be a being of good heart, replied with an observation that now weighs upon my heart: is it evil to risk freeing an army of demons, if setting the demons free would prevent the Caliph from unleashing his vast army upon the world?

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Quips & Quotes:

GM: "The caliph has that whole Tim Curry thing going."
Baran: "Then I laugh."
GM: "No, not that Tim Curry - the Legend Tim Curry."
Baran: "Then I shut up."

75. An Unexpected Outcome

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My thoughts turned aside from concerns over moral issues as Re-Horakhty's fiery barque rose over the City of Brass on the following day. Liadan spend the morning praying fervently to Lathander, arming herself with his blessings against the might of the efreet captain she would duel. I had said my own prayers for her safety to Corellon at moonrise.

When the sun stood high overhead we made our way from Halashahn's quarters to the Court of Sunless Souls. The palace grounds were more populous than on the previous day. It seemed that word of Kamaree's challenge had spread, for many of his folk roamed about, staring openly at our little band as we passed them by. We did not return their stares, not wishing to be waylaid in our progress toward the courtyard.

Halashahn had not been able to accompany us, fearing that his presence might undermine the delicate negotiations he undertook, but he had courteously sent one of his aides to accompany us. This may have assisted us in proceeding through the palace grounds without impediment.

As we neared our destination, we saw that innumerable efreeti-kind were flying above the courtyard. Other creatures of fiery nature had also made their presence known. One such approached us near the courtyard entrance, a being with the torso of a man clad in metallic garments and a serpentine tail. We had fought with one of his ilk on our way toward the city. Standing near him was like unto entering a fiery forge.

This creature, a salamander from the Plane of Fire so I am told, bowed courteously to Liadan and greeted her in a hissing voice like water cast on a white-hot bar of iron. He remarked to her that his master - presumably the envoy from the Plane of Fire who had come to hire the services of the Caliph's army - was most interested in the outcome of her combat. He then wished her an interesting fight. To this Liadan replied, "Some might consider that a curse." The salamander answered, "And some might not," then bowed and sinuously withdrew.

Kamaree awaited Liadan impatiently within the courtyard. He was arrayed for battle in finely crafted armor and wielded a handsome if somewhat ostentatious sword. Halashahn had told us that this sword had a reputation for slaying Kamaree's enemies, and also that the efreet captain was known to prefer hand-to-hand combat rather than using his innate ability to fly to attack his enemies at range.

He attempted to push Liadan into combat at once, trying to goad her with his disdainful attitude. He continued to insist that she must 'pay' for dishonoring his family by blinding his brother, and ignored her words when she again attempted to convince him that she had merely bested his sibling in equal combat. But she would not be perturbed by his aggression. She calmly stepped to one side and began to summon Lathander's blessings to herself, murmuring prayers over her mace and shield. Though she had permitted Erim to ward her against the extreme heat on route to the courtyard, she had asked him to dismiss the spell's effect and to examine her for any hostile magics before entering the area. She did not rise to his baiting but continued to concentrate on her connection to her deity. Kamaree stood close by and stared intently at her, trying to determine what effects Lathander's blessings were extending to her.

At that moment I think that Baran, Nekaya-Re and myself all realized at once that Kamaree had an advantage in that he had not yet declared his readiness to proceed. He could continue to delay the beginning of the duel, thus causing Liadan's spells to lose their effectiveness. Nekaya-Re quickly remarked on this to Liadan, and then turned to Kamaree and asked him if he was ready to begin. The efreet disregarded her words and addressed himself to Liadan.

Nekaya-Re then demanded again to know whether Kamaree was ready, to which he responded, "The next time I hear your tongue wag, woman, it will be as my slave!" Nekaya-Re laughed, and I nearly did so myself. Liadan then pressed him to declare whether he was ready. He seemed irritated by her awareness of his attempted subterfuge. At last he stated that if she would come to the center of the courtyard, she might complete her divine preparations and then three breaths later they would employ potions, after which the duel would begin.

Liadan had been overshadowed by the efreet's not-inconsiderable stature, but she now enlarged herself so that while she was not of equal height to Kamaree, he at least did not tower over her. Her mace and shield glowed with an energy I can only describe as positive. In her shining armor she was nearly as bright as the fiery beings that looked on.

When she had completed her preparations, Kamaree then drew two potions from his belt pouch. They did not resemble the type of potion Halashahn had described as commonly used by duelists here. Liadan did not consume any potions of her own. She was already equipped with all of the magical accessories we could provide her, including two enchanted stones circling her head, one of her own and one courtesy of Nekaya-Re, and my ring that would permit her to avoid being grappled should Kamaree attempt to pinion her.

Once both potions had been consumed, Kamaree announced that he was ready and Liadan replied in kind. Kamaree lunged toward Liadan, brandishing his ornate blade. But Liadan was the swifter of the two. She surrounded herself with the warm brilliance of Lathander's aura, then sent a blast of radiance at the efreet that visibly wounded him.

Kamaree then produced another vial of liquid and splashed it on Liadan. I saw no visible effect, and the efreet appeared dismayed that nothing obvious had occurred. Liadan then surged forward, swinging her mace. It met the efreet's flesh with a bright flash of Lathander's radiance. Kamaree was staggered by the force of her blow.

Kamaree rose up from the ground slightly and struck Liadan with his scimitar, but his first blow failed to meet her. His next attacks did not miss their mark, however. He was obviously a skilled warrior. Flares of flame accompanied his strikes, though the flames seemed to wash over Liadan without scorching her. Kamaree's expression turned to a scowl.

Liadan plied her mace again twice more and followed by slamming her shield against her foe. This time her weapons did not flare with light, but lightning sparked from her shield. Kamaree was obviously dismayed by having failed to adequately assess the strength of his opponent. He drew back from Liadan, and stated, "I forfeit. Do you accept?"

Liadan accepted his forfeit, and the efreet swept rapidly out of the courtyard, rushing past Liadan to reach the gate. I pressed myself back against the wall, seeing no good to antagonizing him by blocking his path as he exited. I had little doubt that he would send his underlings against us in an attempt to regain the honor he perceived that he had lost.

The other efreeti watching above let a collective gasp of startlement at his defeat. More efreeti appeared still to be arriving, having expected the contest to continue for a greater period of time. There was a great sense of confusion.

Liadan reduced her size to its normal proportion and received congratulations from Halashahn's aide, who also appeared quite impressed by her victory. He invited us to return to the ambassador's quarters for refreshments, though Halashahn might be unable to attend us for some time. As we departed, he assured us that Kamaree's men should not trouble us, for he felt that Kamaree had issued his challenge because his men would not fight us. The efreet had expected them to have tested us, and the fact that they did not brought shame to his military unit. Because he had failed to best Liadan, they would not take his honor by besting a foe that he could not.

As we departed the courtyard we observed the salamander we had previously encountered watching us. The other denizens of the palace looked at us strangely as we passed, some of them obviously startled to see Liadan for they had expected her to be involved in the duel still. Others appeared to be making some thoughtful assessment of our party, as though we had now become worthy of their notice.

Liadan summoned Lathander's healing aura and her wounds knitted in an instant, leaving her almost as tidy as if the contest had never taken place. When we arrived at Halashahn's quarters another of his aids magically mended her clothing and removed the minor stains, making her truly appear as she had before. We were extended an invitation to remain until Halashahn's return, though it might take some time for him to conclude his business for the day.

Then Baran asked if we might have a tour of the palace, obviously desiring to make our presence further known in the wake of the duel and its unanticipated result. To this the aide agreed and we departed the ambassador's quarters.

We found that in some areas of the palace even the company of the ambassador's aide was not sufficient to give us access. We could only see the White Fire Gardens from a distance. I suspect that though we could see many different colors of flame in the fires, we were not capable of perceiving the garden's nuances as the denizens of the city could.

Among other sights we came upon aside from the gardens were sculpture gardens filled with shapes of molten brass. Numerous unusual creatures of fire could be seen following the paths about the palace structures, which are themselves impressive in their immense scale. At one point we came upon several efreeti escorting a being whose flesh seemed to be made of flames, clothing a skeleton of gold or brass. We also found a menagerie of fire creatures, and another of beasts that to the fiery folk must have seemed quite exotic, coming from climes where fire and heat were not the natural state.

In time the quantity of impressive sights became too much for our senses to bear and we grew weary. As we turned our path back toward Halashahn's quarters, we found ourselves faced once more by the same salamander we had encountered outside the Court of Sunless Souls. He greeted us with a curious phrase, "Greetings of the terrestrial day to you".

Halashahn's aide withdrew a short distance while we conversed with the salamander. When Liadan remarked that the palace was impressive, the salamander commented that he had seen much greater in the true City of Brass, which lies in the Plane of Fire. Nekaya-Re then said, "Somehow I think that we would be even less welcome in the Plane of Fire than we are here", to which the salamander answered, "Not if you had the proper contacts."

Five other salamanders, some of them smaller in stature than the one who spoke with us, approached as we conversed. One of them was particularly elegantly attired, which led me to suspect that this was the envoy of whom we had heard.

Nekaya-Re then stated that to her knowledge the Plane of Fire would be inimical to our existence. The salamander replied that his people are able to care for those they invite to their realm. To this Nekaya-Re said, "I believe that we have other paths to tread that will not lead us to the realm of Fire."

"It is not my place to invite you," said the salamander. "But should you find yourself there or find a reason to go, I would highly recommend it." He then pardoned himself and departed. Then our attention was drawn to the salamander leading the group that had approached us. He spoke to Liadan, telling her that never in his memory had a general of the Caliph's army yielded so quickly during a duel. He asked us to walk with him, though of course such a creature does not walk.

As we began to move again he introduced himself as Lord Fwaash, and included some honorific in his own tongue that none of us could understand. Lord Fwaash then questioned Liadan regarding our reasons for visiting the Caliph's palace. He had heard rumor of our desire to have audience with one of the Caliph's prisoners. He then told us that he sought assistance in a conflict in his home plane, requiring a force of some size or agents of some power. Liadan wished him luck in this endeavor.

Lord Fwaash then began to comment on the size of the Caliph's army and how long the Caliph had been preparing. He asked us what the outside world knew of the Caliph's army and the threat it posed, to which Liadan replied that her homeland is far away, and Nekaya-Re explained that her people are consumed by warfare of their own. I offered my own opinion that humans are most often concerned with threats they perceive as immediate, and because the Caliph's army had attacked no one yet it was not seen as such a threat. To this Lord Fwaash then suggested that the leaders of our homelands might be interested in what we could tell them of the Caliph's army. What quantity of warriors, he wanted to know, would constitute a threat to the peoples of other lands?

Liadan and Nekaya-Re answered that it was not so much the number of soldiers he could field as his actions that would seem threatening. Lord Fwaash wanted to know if the leaders of Calimshan would be interested in what we had seen there. We explained to him that the leaders of that country would have little reason to listen to us, for we are not people of importance as such things are judged in Calimshan.

He seemed surprised that we felt we would not be taken seriously by those in power. Despite his alien origins appears to be a shrewd judge of character, for he recognized that our goals are not selfish. He then sought information regarding our purpose in desiring to speak with Osaze Mumbai. I spoke then and told him that we merely wished to convey some information to Osaze in which he would be interested, and afterward we intended to contact another acquaintance of Liadan's father - by which of course I meant the dragon, though I did not say so.

He asked us then if we would be interested in an opportunity to travel to exotic places. Liadan told him that our own affairs would not lead us to that path, and I added that we felt some sense of urgency in conducting those affairs. When he stated that he hoped soon to depart with an army, Nekaya-Re told him that we also hoped he would do so. To this Lord Fwaash commented that it was unfortunate he must deal with the current Caliph, Phereteim, for he had reason to believe that Phereteim's successor would be more amenable to lending the salamander his army and they would then depart the Material Plane for many generations of human lives.

Our conversation turned to our desire to meet with Osaze, and we explained to him as we have to others that we only wish to speak with Osaze, not to meet with the Caliph, nor do we desire to carry Osaze away from the City of Brass. Lord Fwaash then took his leave of us with the wish that we would soon see enlightenment in the matters of which he had spoken of previously.

When we had taken our leave of the salamander lord, we were met by a page who informed us that Prince Jafar had invited us to meet him on the following evening.

We returned to Halashahn's quarters to find that a package had been left for us, a box of bronze sent by Lord Fwaash. We asked our hosts what meaning a gift from a salamander might have. We were told that salamanders do not ordinarily give gifts and were merely imitating the customs of other lands. The gift was evidently meant to gain our goodwill. Liadan opened the box to find that it was filled with red sand, on which lay two very large and handsome rubies and a ring of rare red gold. Erim determined that the ring radiated a strong magical aura, imparting to the wearer the ability to withstand the heat of flames.

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Quips & Quotes:

Nekaya: "I'm not gonna stop and chat with the salamander. He makes the room all stuffy."

Telemnar: "She shall taunt him until he behaves foolishly!"

Nekaya: "I think he's already behaving foolishly."

GM: "If you want to keep using 3.5 broken spells, that's fine.

Nekaya: "At least until 4.0 comes out. Then you can only use 4.0 broken spells."

Nekaya: "You want us to have a tour of the palace when Baran and  Erim aren't here?"
GM: "Yeah, you don't see anything of interest."

Nekaya: "I'm trying to figure out how to gain the Caliph's respect so he'd grant us an audience, but I can't really figure Tut how. Maybe if we killed and ate some puppies."

Telemnar: "Maybe if we killed and ate some djanni or something. I don't really want to eat djanni, though. They'd be too hot."

Nekaya: "I'm not going to start fights with people just over being evil."

Telemnar: "You're not playing your paladin right!"