Grew up in Solku, as part of a larger family of Alchemists. Most of them died during the Siege, leaving only a young Aunt Haleen and myself. She was an Investigator, so I started following that path instead of being an Alchemist. Then when she disappeared several months ago, I was left to forge the path myself, which led to Katapesh which led to the caravan . . .
Menthis Talp, curator of The Archive of Eminent Tomes was a contact of Haleen’s and she introduced Ahmed ibn Fadlan (Tom’s PC) to him a couple years ago. Ahmed spent a lot of time in the archive researching all he could about anything that interested him.
recently Menthis learned of an ancient Osirian temple to the god Thoth that existed during the height of ancient Osirian’s empire well over 6000 years ago. His research leads him to believe that this temple existed somewhere near the now ruined city of Kelmarene. He also shares a copied page from the
The Songs of Shar:
In the beginning, when Rovagug perfected the
way of destruction, the lands were littered with
the dead. Crows, maggots, beetles, worms,
and the other crawling things of the earth
complained to Rovagug.
“You destroy and maim too quickly!” they
cried. “We cannot devour all the meat you
give us! Please, destroy the people of the earth more slowly.”
“What?” shouted Rovagug, in a voice that toppled pillars. “My
glorious destruction shall never cease nor slow!”
Yet in the dark, delighting in the destruction god’s slaughter,
watched Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters, and she heard the
base things cry. In those black days when all the land was covered
with death and all the air stank, she watched as a few tribes of men,
her followers and devout worshipers, ate the flesh of corpses as the
crows did, plucking out eyes, savoring the bloodiest cuts. To these
cannibals she led packs of hyenas, and their ways became as one.
Of those louse-ridden beastmen rose the first gnolls, half-hyenas
who love the stench of carrion and praise each corpse as an offering
to their dark mother. And the demon queen delighted in her own
perversion and reveled in these monsters’ terrible howling songs.
Born of devastation, and insanity, and the corrupt of soul, the
man-beasts spread upon the world, and where they prowled they
indulged in their hunger for murdered flesh. Surely, they are to
be despised by any sane god, and so we make ceaseless war on
those who seek to feed on the bodies of heroes and innocents.
And somewhere in the madness between the stars, the Mother
of Perversion and the Mistress of Insanity still laughs her wicked
laugh, as her ravening spawn, the bone gnawers and carrion
eaters, grow fat off our flesh.
Gnolls are among the first abominations, and their death is a
blessing. Remember this when their laughter haunts your steps.
05/02/2015
day 1 (4711)
I volunteer to go along to get the things for Menthis, Garavel and Menthis knows him. We leave Solku . . . head along the foothills. Several days until we get to the pale mountain (known from the Djinni wars), and Sultan’s Claw is our goal.
Reach it with a caravan already there and apparently under some sort of attack. Alma orders us to help.
We stop the fire and save the animals . . . investigate the fire:
Eloas skeletal form
sooty blackened coins
Dashki was lurking nearby — we make him friendly and he tells us his story.
gnolls killed his family
works as an expert on gnolls
really damaged from the experience.
he helps us by doing a track check
small feet, very tiny.
Pugwumpus
crawled up from the darklands
Jackel-rats
which may have caused the candle to fall . . .
Kallien — Trevis are mercenaries who needed help
they didn’t like him very much
they ran as soon as the fire went up
Dashki had a thing for Alma
Alma was having relations with him
Alma
hired him for his readings
she spent a lot of time with him, but no romance
not lying
was unaware of Dashki’s interest.
she gives us the 10 gold apiece
Pactmaster guards
they didn’t see the fire start
saw Dashki lurking about
Camel drivers
Eloas was nice enough
Alma trusted him, that was good enough
they thought Dashki could do it.
don’t like him
Alma requires our verdict, we note the pugwumpus and she demands that we go and find this thing if it is real, otherwise it is Dashki that should be blamed.
We go and chase down the pugwumpus.
nasty luck on the creature area
Alma takes our evidence and accepts the situation.
by solving we get a CR1, CR2, CR1/2, and a CR1 experience.
she offers us a +100 gp apiece for the Kelmarane job upcoming.
I examine the body and she lets Sed keep the head.
Day 2
The caravan gears up to move. about a mile away is the abandoned monastery to Sarenrae. She wishes to base there. She sends us in to make sure the place is clear. what the hell.
The Monastery:
we find a set of pugwumpi attempting to make dinner, apparently.
Sed and Dashki take them on, whilst I look at the next room
3 baboons .. .
one attempts to bullrush the door and is forced back.
I back up whilst Nacki casts a fake firewall.
they fight, I search
have to come back and save the cleric by skewering a baboon.
Check the Library
rusty musty.
found a book area 14
Courts of sword and flame
about Djinn and the Efreet
about the 5 heroes
8 hrs of reading will give a +4 to rolls on for Djinni and Efreet
balcony was a little rickety
room of beds
many attempts to force door.
Cloister
south wall bears triptych
bearded man guards the pale mountain
left by the other 4 heroes
the rose up . .
hero fights the fire creature
gets skewered
fall of Vardishal
West wall
5 beings who fought for a Djinn against Efreet
in background Pale Mountain
and Large female Djinn and Efreet fighting
North wall
5 heroes riding victorious
all with distinctive weapons
Vardishal had regal staff
East wall
seeming history of of the monastery
Vardishal visits the leaders of the Sarenae monastery
Another room
holds a statue
of Vardishal
behind which is a door
next room, octagonal
stirges
I got sucked
this sucks
I get tagged and sucked, 4 con loss and filth fever
we defeat them and find a magical mithral tube
chime of opening
secret door to secret garden
largely overgrown
another secret door
leads back to chapel off Nave
through legs of large bas relief of Vardishal
pilgrims beatific or horrified.
Stele (monument) states ghost of evil mien was cleared here
4691 by Theodephus Estrovan servant of Aroden (died in 4606)
we head back to the main chapel
found the pugwumpi nest.
I had to climb to clear the rope, holding the gnoll skull chandelier
nest is in the rafters
long battle with multiple combatants
Sed was enlarged and pulled down half the nest
King fell with his throne
long drawn out to kill the king.
the bastard had an AC of 21
Day 3
wake up, one con comes back.
make save against filth fever
we go back to check out the undercrypt
by the west wall, I get a telepathic message warning us off
“Doom of the Eye will sow ruin upon you”
“You mortal”
I question the voice it goes away
have assessed that it is probably an individual using Telepathy, so, therefore, within 100’
Efreet?
go through the passage behind statues
down into undercrypt
many crypts disturbed, in the process we find several magical items
MW leather armor
mace
phylactery of faithfulness
broach of shielding
continue and find the entrance to the alchemist lab
full of the same fungus as above.
same passageway as the mold above
Uncle Nacki and I go in and investigate.
whilst looking at the murky green jars, they explode
slime mold attacked/attached
I ended up getting some in me causing a wave of reaction and turning moldy myself
whilst Sed and his magic bastard sword killed both slime molds
the slime touch
in addition to the festering mold rot
the remaining essence of Vardishal was in the mold, he is now in me.
Moldspeaker
he gives me all the info on the 5 heroes
Templars of the 5 winds
each was tied to an aspect of the wind
Djinn all.
Defeated a great evil in the Pale Mountain
he was a general for Nephesti (she was the Large Djinn in the painting fighting the large Efreet)
he was the North Wind
Battle Cry for all Armies
he showed me the location of where he fell
in the courtyard
I dug for and found a +1 rapier
Tempest
legacy weapon, more things will occur
Day 4
sleep with weird dreams about fire and wind and water
we get sent out to scout and find a plan to take Kelmarane
Rala noticed the bringing of food to some enclosure in the ruined area of the village
I map very well, as expected
we head up the river to sneak into the ruined part of the village
it is recommended we don’t try to take the battle market
we find a spot to perceive from
we spot a winged humanoid flying from the top tower of the battle market
towards the north building on the north side of the river
harpy — armored
crud
scout the building with the beasty
it is a guard dire boar
we check a few other buildings and head back
Day 5
we find the area that they were avoiding
Old slave market
snake bit Sed
giant Mamba
Sed cut off the snake’s head
I was able to neutralize the poison
acquired the head
nothing else of note.
we then go check out the ruined inn
b3
generally sturdy walls, and sound construction
ceiling is mostly intact
2nd level and battle market is visible
then the stable next to it
b4
find a person from Cheliax — Felliped
chattering
member of the Lions of Shannara
they are all dead but 3
harpy at the tannery
horned flying deer thing on the opposite building
head to the next building, a manor
Uncle Nacky sets up an illusion to get us there.
he remains at the door to keep the illusion up
b5
the whole place is dusty, but undisturbed
we travel through the kitchen
then into the next room
find a cellar and tunnel leading to a cavern
we get the bard back to the monastery
Day 6
we head back out and disguise our way up to the market. In the process meet up with a jumping demon, which takes all of us to subdue. Well, kill.