Session Twenty Two
With both the necromancer’s caves and the tomb complex explored, The Fated had only one mystery left to plumb in Kirkuk: The mystery of the Well of the Prophet. From the now-deceased Barber they had heard tales that the Well was a burial ground of Thrassian kings and heroes, that it was a pilgrimage site with healing waters, and that it was a repository for efreeti bottles. Which of these tales was true?
Before they could explore the Well, they would need permission from the sheikh of Kirkuk, as the Well was sacred. This took a few days to secure. Senef spent the time in shamanic rituals, asking the local genies about the Well. He learned that the only way into the Well was through the Well itself; there were no alternate routes to whatever lay beneath.
The Well itself was actually a grotto in the cliffside near the Thrassian burial caves. It was there that the Fated gathered on 3rd Froelen. There was concern over what the poisonous waters might do to any who descended within; the party decided that a Thrassian was likely to be safe, because the waters didn’t harm animals… Senef enchanted Rakh to breathe water, and the lizardman dove down the Well, 100’ of rope securing him to the surface. The grotto was 40’ deep, ending in a rocky bottom dotted with large boulders. Three archways tiled with shells and carved with Thrassian glyphs exited the grotto, and a brass something was visible in the murk. Rakh never got to the brass object, for a tentacled undead monstrosity arose from the rocks and began to tear him apart. The thing was huge, and it took the strength of the whole party to drag Rakh back up to the surface. The undead cephalopod did not follow.
To tackle an underwater expedition, the Fated needed supplies that weren’t available at Kirkuk, so it set out along the desert road for Alakyrum, Pearl of the Desert. They arrived on 6th Froelen. Ethlyn called on the great alchemist, Urabi al-Chukri, and vast sums exchanged hands. Ethlyn left with five scrolls of water breathing, six preserved giant fish gills, a library of grimoires and tomes for arcane research, and an alchemical and magical workshop. While in Urabi’s shop, Ethlyn also commissioned the sages there to identify the strange paw they had found in Ymmu’s tomb, as well as the magical scarab she had been carrying for months.
Balen, a trained siege engineer, had come to the conclusion that the best way of dealing with a giant undead octopus was with a giant mechanical fishing pole, and set about finding someone who could construct such a crane. Investigation led him to Nestomachos, a dwarven tinker of high repute. Nestomachos took an instant dislike to Balen, but immediately warmed to Ethlyn, agreeing to work for her on the project.
Meanwhile, Sharik visited Damanos, the antiquities and curios dealer, and hired him to identify Ymmu’s burial shroud. He also inquired if Damanos would be interested in working as the Fated’s resident sage in Kirkuk. Damanos demurred, being invested in his own store, but suggested his sister-in-law’s cousin, Hajid al-Massan, as a promising young scholar. Making arrangements to meet Hajid the next day, the party retired to the Patrician’s Rest.
At the Patrician’s Rest, the party was visited by Aaliyah, a fortune-teller of some charm. Mahmud, Rakh, and Ethlyn all had their fortunes read. Of Mahmud, she said “When your battle is won, a great lord shall be undone.” Mahmud took this stoically, as was his wont. Of Ethlyn, she said “You shall place your trust in precious jewels, but it shall buy you only tools and fools.” (This caused considerable consternation to Ethlyn and her henchmen). As for Rakh, she told him “You shall be remembered for great deeds, or great greeds.” Rakh took this as a sign from Ammonar that his righteous path would remain ever-strewn with the risk of corruption.
The next day the party met Hajid at Damanos’ shop. He was younger than they might have liked, and perhaps a little unconfident, but he clearly knew his way around magic items and potions, so Sharik hired him. Along with the tinker, Damanos, the party set back out to Kirkuk, their camels laden with scrolls, books, and alchemical wares.
On 11th Froelen, the party was back in Kirkuk. Nestomachos and Balen set to work on their great crane. Based on the available manpower, it was going to take about twenty days to build the 40’ contraption. (Mahmud, being quite lawful, made sure they had the sheik’s permission before building a crane in the sacred Well.) With ample time available, Senef began working on crafting additional scrolls of water breathing, while Irial and Nakhita proselytized their faith to the local community.
Ethlyn, Sharik, Zoya, Celdor, and Dornethan, accompanied by their camels and six mercenaries, decided to head back to Alakyrum to see what the sages had learned about their magical items. Arriving on the 21st of Froelen, they visited Urabi al-Chukri. Urabi himself met them, shocked that they had uncovered the legendary paw of Ymmu M’Kursa. This relic of the long-dead transmogrifier, he explained, could be grafted to the stump of a forearm, to serve as a claw. If one also had the burial shroud of Ymmu M’Kursa, more powers would be unlocked, including the ability to petrify one’s foes. The party had long had suspicions of Urabi’s lawfulness and disclaimed any knowledge of the burial shroud.
They proceeded directly to Damanos’ shop to inquire about the burial shroud of Ymmu M’Kursa. Damanos identified the item as a protective cloak that fed on the life energies of its wearer. He said that more powers could be unlocked if one had the paw of Ymmu as well but cautioned it was an evil object. Sharik felt Damanos the more trustworthy of the two loremasters, and gave him a crystal wand to investigate.
With this business attended to, the small party trekked back towards Kirkuk. Not all of them made it back. En route, the scent of their camels drew an attack from a pride of lions. Rather than evade the great cats, Ethlyn led the mercenaries into a battle line, hoping to test out her new sword of light. She woefully underestimated how fearsome the lions of the desert could be… Her six mercenaries were torn apart with savage fury. Four of the camels were slaughtered too, and the rest bolted off, with most of the party still on them! Sharik was able to slow down the lions by summoning a minotaur from his marvelous bag, and Celdor, an excellent rider, could have carried Ethlyn to safety. But the brash young bard refused to flee until she had killed the pride’s leader – a deed which sent the rest of the lions scattering.
Proclaiming the battle a victory, Ethlyn turned to tend towards the fallen mercenaries. Three were already dead, two lingered for a few seconds before dying, and one, though crippled, could be saved – but it required trekking back to Alakyrum. After burning the bodies of the fallen, and taking the pride leader’s coat and mane as a prize, Ethlyn led the party back to the great city. There she paid for the restoration of the crippled mercenary. This act of generosity provoked tears of gratitude. “All men shall be told that when other’s fled, you held Ammonar’s sword of fire and killed the great lion...” The remaining party members remembered the events differently but held their tongues.
Over the next week, the Fated recruited replacement mercenaries and bought new camels. They did not return to Kirkuk until the 31st of Froelen, arriving just in time for the great crane to be completed in the Well of the Sacred Prophet.
Senef had, in the meantime, spoken to the local genies on several more occasions. The genies had revealed many important pieces of information, notably: (1) that undead creatures in the Thrassian ruins were the cause of the poison in the Well; (2) that the disease caused by the Well’s poison could be cured by Senef; (3) that there were sections of the Thrassian ruins connected to the Well that were not flooded; (4) that there were intelligent undead in the Thrassian ruins connected to the Well; and (5) that there were traps laying in wait in the Thrassian ruins.
On the 32nd of Froelen, the Fated gathered for an expedition against the undead cephalopod. Mahmud and Sharik were enchanted with water breathing while Rakh held his breath, and the three dove down into the waters of the Well. In their hands they carried great hooks attached to the gigantic crane that had been assembled above. The huge tentacled obscenity attack them as they reached the bottom, heavily entangling Rakh with numerous tentacles. Mahmud managed to hook the monster, and as it jerked on the hook, the dozen adventurers above began cranking the great crane’s winches, reeling the undead octopus up, up, up, and then tossing it laterally onto the ground by the grotto. A crazed melee broke out as the monster’s dozen tentacles grappled and grabbed and constricted even as the party hacked and sawed and mangled its undead flesh. Zoya finished the fight with a searing flame from her marvelous crossbow of fire…
Sheikh Ramman was on hand to witness the party’s victory. It was clear that in his five decades of life, he had never seen a gigantic undead octopus reeled out of a sacred Well with a 40’ crane before, and he was suitably impressed. “Clearly the spirits of great heroes are with you…” he said.
Most of the party now began burning the undead beast’s body, fearing it might regenerate otherwise. Sharik, meanwhile, descended back into the Well’s dark waters, and read the runes on the seashell tiled archways below…
“Disturb not the sleep of the kings of the deep.”
“Sacred shall these waters be while our kings slumber free.”
“Do not step within lest you disturb our lords’ rest.”