Brilliant stuff! Love the shock value of the line, “That night, Ethlyn was assassinated.”
But, hey! It’s okay…she got better.
She almost didn’t get better… The Tampering With Mortality roll was at a brutal penalty for instantly killed (-10), existing side effect (-1) and dead one day (-1). Senef is only level 8, so her total penalty was -7. She rolled a 17 on the d20 and 5 on the d6, so the outcome was virtually as good as she possibly could have hoped.
No doubt the lead up to that roll was a little tense…
SESSION FIFTY-THREE
The Dragons of the Desert greeted the Celebration of the Unconquered Dawn with a great festival. They had much to celebrate, after all! A year earlier they had been exiled outlaws – now they were rules of towns and cities. On the 31st of Vicelen, Mahmud married the sorceress Soraya, admitting her into the family as his second wife. It was a grand celebration and the paladin and his lovely bride were hailed by cheering throngs of Opeleneans as they paraded through town.
Coincidental to the wedding an emissary arrived from Alakyrum. Parthalan was an apprentice of Urabi al-Chukri, and he came bearing a missive from the Council of Wisdom as well as the princely gift of 12,000gp. The Council of Wisdom had been impressed with the party’s leadership in Khaibar, and had proclaimed them the Shields of the South, with suzerainty over the entire vilayet of Jubai and its four pashalics of Ber-Gathy, Hissar, Khaibar, and Old Jubai. Coming with this appointment, of course, came the responsibility of capturing Jubai first. But that was just the first responsibility. According to the letter, the mages on the Council had divined that Amur-Sin was conducting a dark ritual in the Howling Emptiness; it was a matter of mere months until this terrible work was completed. The Dragons of the Desert were commanded to disrupt this ritual.
The party’s reaction to having such authority and responsibility thrust upon them was mixed. Bellona saw the Council of Wisdom’s offer as justification of her military strategies to date. Ethlyn continued to feel that a deal could be struck with the Auran ruler of Jubai, but Mahmud was ready to go to war. Rakh was eager to march straightaway to the Howling Emptiness. “I want Amur-Sin’s head on a pike!” He seemed undeterred by Suad’s counsel that Amur-Sin would turn to dust when destroyed. Senef and Suad were certain that there was more afoot than mere politics. Senef turned to the spirits for advice. “Is Navana trying to orchestrate us into fighting Amur-Sin?” Yes. “Is Urabi al-Chukri Navana’s agent in Alakyrum?” Yes. “Is the Mad Dog’s base of operations in or underneath Khaibar?” Yes.
Given the disaster that had occurred the last time the Dragons marched off to war, Senef and Suad counseled that the party should secure Khaibar against spies and assassins before taking any further action. That meant dealing with the Mad Dog. Since the Mad Dog’s assassins had been spotted entering the palace via the sewers, it seemed a natural place to look for them. Vahtak Bey was able to provide a rough description of the Khaibar sewers. They were arranged in a grid through the hill upon which the city was built, flowing largely south-and-west to eventually emerge several hundred yards away. It was a large complex, but the Dragons of the Desert no longer had to resort to dungeon-crawling every inch of such venues. Instead they gathered 256 soldiers and organized them into squads of 16. Each squad was assigned a sewer entrance and instructed to spread out around it until within sight of the next squads. The Dragons themselves all entered via the palace sewer grate, save Shikra who monitored overhead.
Most of the troops had little trouble with their assigned tasks, but one group was forced to the surface by an encounter with a swarm of carrion crawlers. Shikra went to notify the party, but the discovery of carrion crawlers in the sewers was soon displaced by a far more interesting discovery: A cunningly hidden secret door in an inexplicably dry patch of the sewer. Without her star gem, even Zoya would not have found it.
The hallway behind was heavily trapped, but Zoya safely led the party through them to a chamber richly decorated with gold-dusted utensils and carpets. Her magical vision espied a secret door in the far corner. It took three spells for the party’s mages to break the seals on the secret door. When the door blew open, it gusted wind into the chamber that blew the gold “dust” all over Shikra and Mahmud. It was not dust at all, but mutated yellow mold. Fortunately, neither succumbed to the danger. Bellona cleansed the room with fire. The dungeon beyond was a labyrinth of deadends, illusions and traps. Upon entry, an image of a demon prince manifested and warned of unspeakable danger. Further in, segments of flooring rotated underfoot, nearly sending Zoya into a deadly pit. Most curious of all was a corridor that seemed to affect the flow of time. Those who passed forward found themselves hungry, tired, and grizzled, as if a day had passed, with torches burned out, and spells expired. Those who passed back were rejuvenated to their prior vigor and condition. Such magic was well beyond the art of the present day, suggesting this complex must date back to the ancient Zaharans.
Pressing forward, the Dragons of the Desert came to a huge octagonal room holding ingots of iron, copper, bronze, and silver mingled with semi-precious and ornamental stones. The experienced adventurers estimated the treasure’s value as 200,000gp, although the weight was nearly 100,000 stone. It would take an army to get the treasure out.
Centered in the room was a statue of Dagon, the Zaharan god of death, whom the Opeleneans call Dahaga and the Aurans Dirgion. At each plane of the octagon, Zoya detected a secret door, with a ninth secret door visible at the northwest vertex. The entire room was a sinkhole of evil.
With the treasure nearly impossible to carry, and so many potential threats, the party decided to investigate the secret door in the vertex. This portal led them to a reliquary, its walls covered with shelving and cubby holes filled with a vast quantity of scrolls, maps, and other items. Many of these proved magical, and the Dragons made a point to scoop these up: In all they gathered two scrolls, two potions, an ornate brass ring with a bloodstone, an iron-shod staff carved with runes, a short wand of amber, a light khopesh with a hilt carved like a striking raptor, and a curious black cloth that seemed to create an inter-dimensional pocket wherever it was placed. The party took a cursory look at the other scrolls and maps, which seemed to be historical records, but decided to press onward through a metal door to the west.
The passage beyond this door was 20’ long and ended with another metal door. This metal door led to a small room, entirely coated with metal, with four identical exits, each leading to another short passage with another metal door. Mahmud and Wazir went west to explore, entering a long corridor. But when the rest of the group went to follow, Mahmud and Wazir were not there. The party was able to regroup in the central metal room, but was very suspicious that the same door seemed to lead to two different places. They decided to try heading west again, this time spiking the doors open as they passed through them. This activity resulted in a terrible grinding sound of metal on stone; some mechanical force was at work which drove the spikes out of the doors and then, as the party watched in awe, rotated the entire array of passages clockwise.
Now that they understand what was going on, the Dragons were able to chart a path deeper into the dungeon. They soon came upon a massive chamber, decorated like a chessboard; an ancient Zaharan poem gave cryptic guidance as to the safe route through, but warned that a false step would result in instant destruction. Rather than have party members be at risk, Shikra summoned waves of berserkers who died gloriously until the route had been determined.
Past the chessboard, the party came to a tomb entrance, which read: “Entrance unto this most sacred of sacred places will result in certain death, for desecrators will meet the curse of the undead. Flee now lest your very souls be eaten by the King Who Never Dies.” Here they paused. They were looking for an assassin, not a slumbering undead king. They had already found a fortune in treasure earlier in the complex. Should they open this door? Mahmud looked to his mages for guidance. “What’s the worst that could happen?” said Shikra. “Do you have to ask me if I want to open a door?” said Suad.
They opened the door. The mummy lord within awoke. Battle was joined. The party was blazing fast in its initial assault, striking the mummy lord with spells, arrows, and swords to ensure it couldn’t get a spell off. Mahmud struck hardest with True Death, and the creature staggered. They had almost won the fight! But then an explosion of earth’s teeth missed the creature, as did Mahmud’s follow up blows and all of the party’s arrows. The mummy lord exhaled black smoke from its lungs, and brought death. Shikra, Suad, Zoya, Wazir, and Valara went down. The rest of the party was barely standing. Sensing doom at hand, Senef called on the spirits to dispel the mummy lord. The spirits agreed, and the undead king was vanquished.
In the aftermath, Senef was able to save most of the party. The black smoke had dissolved Wazir and Shikra’s teeth where they had inhaled it. Zoya had shattered her knee in a hard fall going unconscious. Worse, Suad’s gonads had rotted, necessitating amputation. Valara, their new bladedancer, had taken the full force of the blast, and was beyond saving. She would need to be restored to life back at the mosque.
From within the mummy lord’s sarcophagus, a powerful golden glow was visible. The Dragons of the Desert approached cautiously and were awed to see a golden cup and talisman, hammered of gold, chased with silver, set with great gems. The talisman was shaped like the winged sun. “It is the Cup and Talisman of Al-Sindor!” exclaimed Suad. “The holiest of holy relics. The Zaharans captured them during the Empyrean War and hid them away in the West. It is said that Al-Sindor came to Opelenea seeking them, but even he failed to find them.”
In a trance, Senef detected curses lay upon these holy relics. Yet as he emerged, a terrible greed came into Senef’s eyes, and the shaman seized the Cup and Talisman in his hands. “They are mine,” he said.
SESSION FIFTY-FOUR
With the Cup and Talisman of Al-Sindor in Senef’s slightly deranged hands, the Dragons of the Desert decided it was time to head for the surface. Unfortunately the way out brought them through the octagonal treasure room they’d earlier detected was a sinkhole of evil; there, they confronted the guardians of the Cup and Talisman – eight Zaharan mummies. The mummies came from secret doors in every direction, and the party was nearly overrun. Suad was forced to escape in gaseous form, while Celic was cut down. Dornethan held the rear flank long enough for Mahmud and Rakh to finally destroy the mummies.
Even upon reaching the surface, the party still had lots of issues to handle. War with Jubai still loomed, as did the mysterious dangers of Amur-Sin to the west. The realm had to be put in order. And Senef had to be cured of his obsession with Al-Sindor’s relics, if possible…
Several of their soldiery had died during the investigation into the sewers, and Mahmud felt ethically obligated to pay their widows a wage for their loss, as well as a bonus to those who had dared the sewers at all. This cost the party 2,500gp but the generosity inspired more recruits to make up for the losses.
Meanwhile, the fallen Celic and Valara were restored. Celic came back stiff and scarred; Valara emerged with vestigial angel’s wings. Both henchmen resigned upon recovery. Celic had already died and been reincarnated twice. “I can’t do this anymore. I’ve died so many times, I barely remember who I am. I need to take what I’ve earned and go.” Valara was more curt: “I should have listened to what I’d heard about the Fated.” The party was sad to see them go, particularly Celic, who had been with them for over a year.
While Senef was busy healing the wounded, Suad recruited Achmed Raisul, the imam of the local mosque, to cast remove curse on Senef. The shaman was caught off-guard, but the spell had no effect. “What are you attempting, priest of Imran?” the outraged shaman demanded. Suad smoothly talked him down while a worried Achmed Raisul fled the angry shaman.
Suad now approached Rakh and Mahmud. “My friends, Senef remains obsessed by the relics. I fear we must break into Senef’s room tonight, tie him to his bed, and unleash spells on him until this curse is broken.” His comrades agreed this was the wisest course of action, and that night put their plan into action. Despite all of their precautions, Senef woke up instantly when his door opened. He might have unleashed a spell on them had the two warriors not quickly grappled the shaman and tied him up. Suad found the relics and hid them away in his portable hole.
A few minutes later, Senef became placid. With the relics out of his possession, the curse was lifted. “My friends, I feel much shame at what I have done. These relics are dangerous. To see them together is to cover them. I deeply regret my actions. Forgive me.” Rakh assured him that all was forgiven, but Senef was left tied up for now.
Achmed Raisul was summoned again, briefed on the situation, and commanded to commune. “Is there a way for us to remove the effect on the Cup and Talisman of Al-Sindor that causes people to covet it?” No. “Is Senef still coveting the Cup and Talisman of Al-Sindor?” No. “Can the covetous effect on someone affected be removed by the Dragons of the Desert somehow short of a wish or miracle?” Yes.
Senef, finally freed from his ropes and gags, explained the results. “This item is not cursed. It is something more. It is Imran’s power and will brought into this Sphere of Existence. It is difficult to resist the allure.” Suad sighed. “I could not resist. I am a weak man.” Bellona looked at Senef’s groin, still bandaged from his castrating injury in the dungeon. “Are you still technically a man?” “I will kill you in your sleep,” said Suad. He was polite enough not to mention that Bellona herself had experienced similar genital adjustments.
Suad had a theory that the Cup and Talisman might be safe if stored and viewed separately, but very dangerous if kept together. A few days later, on the 7th of Genelen, Senef was able to commune with the spirits to confirm the theory. “Does someone in the presence of the Cup and Talisman need to resist covetousness continuously?” Yes. “Do the Cup and Talisman cause covetousness when viewed separately?” No. Ok then! “Is Mad Dog planning another attack on Khaibar?” No.
The spellcasters wanted to study the Cup and Talisman. The party’s workshop was split into two halves by thick curtains, with a neutral zone between, so that the two relics would never be seen at the same time. When not being studied, they were kept in the portable hole. This was but a temporary measure, though. The Dragons of the Desert decided that the Cup and Talisman ultimately deserved to be in a Tabernacle, a Holy of Holies. They decided to use the entire sum of the money they had found in the dungeon below – 200,000gp – to construct a holy mosque, a great pinnacle of good where the Cup and Talisman could live. The minaret would feature a winged sun disc adorned with diamonds. Workmen began construction on the 9th of Genelen.
On the 10th of Genelen, Ethlyn and Mahmud decided it was time to go to war with Jubai. All of the wounded party members were now fit for travel, and the necessary tasks – training troops, supervising the construction of ballista, hiring mercenaries as they arrived in town, and so on – had been completed. It was time. Ethlyn assumed overall command of the army, with Bellona as her adjutant. Mahmud took command of a cavalry division while Senef and Zoya each took a light infantry division.
By the 17th, the army had reached the Oasis of Akhir, half-way to Jubai. They were greeted there by local guides from the region of Jubai. These men, experienced Opelenean caravaneers, explained that the Auran leadership of Jubai was marshalling for war against Khaibar, a move they opposed. They offered to advise Ethlyn and Mahmud on the best routes to travel within the region. Jubai, they explained, sat in a large oasis overlooking a series of salt mines to the south-east. To the west, north, and east, it was ringed by smaller oases, each ruled by a bey; these beys were opposed to the Aurans, too. The guides’ words confirmed the missive that the party had received from Alakyrum. They decided the first order of business was to recruit the beys to their cause.
The problem was how to do so. Prefect Ionicus’s army, numbering perhaps 3,000 men, was well-supplied in Jubai. Sitting at the center of the ring, he enjoyed interior lines. Any attempt to march Khaibar’s army along the ring of oases would leave their supply lines exposed to a thrust by Ionicus, or subject the beys to being defeated in detail. Success mandated that all of the beys be recruited nearly simultaneously, timing their marches so they concentrated in space and time on Jubai at once.
Bellona worked out a cunning plan. Ethlyn would take the army and march it to the Khabul, the closest oasis, then steer south-east towards a rendezvous point a dozen miles from Jubai. The proximity of her force would prevent Ionicus from striking to the more distant oases, for fear of exposing his own lines of communication. Meanwhile, Mahmud and Shikra would use the magic carpet to fly to the outer oases of Bab al-Yasir, Bir-Nadia, and Dadbeh. Each bey’s forces would be ordered to the same rendezvous point. With sufficient alacrity, the armies could converge in strength before Jubai’s army was able to destroy them in detail.
The plan was put into motion on the 18th of Genelen. By the 19th, Ethlyn was at Khabul, and had recruited its bey, Tavish, to the cause. To the party’s delight, Tavish explained that all of his fellow beys had been ordered to marshal their forces by the Council of Wisdom in Alakyrum and were ready to fight! This prediction proved true. On the 20th, Mahmud had little trouble recruiting bey Kamal of Bab al-Yasir and bey Abbas of Bir-Nadia – flying in on a magic carpet bedecked in magical armor made quite the impression. On the 21st, he and Shikra reached the oasis of Dadbeh. Its bey, Farbood, was gravely concerned about joining the war effort, however. His oasis was the easternmost in all Opelenea, meaning it would be on the front line of any Auran counter-attack. He requested that Mahmud personally pledge to defend Dadbeh if it came under attack. The Grand Mufti, a man of honor, gave his word to do so. By the 22nd, the beys had consolidated with Ethlyn’s forces about 12 miles from Jubai.
Meanwhile, in Jubai, Prefect Ionicus had been taking action of his own. With the countryside against him, he was hampered by poor scouting and reconnaissance. He knew that the beys of the oases had marshalled their forces, but it was not until the 19th of Genelen that he located Ethlyn’s army in the vicinity of Khabul. Ionicus decided to march out to destroy Ethlyn’s forces before any of the other beys could reinforce her. Unfortunately, he did not know her route of march, and his army marched past her’s to the west. By the time he realized where Ethlyn’s forces were, they were nearly astride his lines of supply to Jubai. On the 22nd, he turned course and marched eastward, also encamping about 12 miles from Jubai.
Between the two armies was a lush region of oases, farms, and groves. On the 23rd, the two armies met there for a pitched battle.
Awesome, awesome stuff.
Out of curiosity how did you run the assassination of Ethlyn?
The assassin was an NPC I had fully developed. I ran the encounter behind my GM screen, using various “Hear Noise”, Surprise, Move Silently, and other throws to see if he reached her.
SESSION FIFTY-FIVE
Around dawn, on the 23rd of Genelen, the Dragons of the Desert met with Prefect Ionicus and his lieutenants under the flag of parley. The Dragon’s terms were simple: Ionicus was to leave the battlefield with his troops and march eastward, yielding Jubai and its domains to them. Though outnumbered, the war mage Ionicus refused. “The Auran Empire has commanded me to defend its prefecture of Jubai, and I will do my duty. You are honorable men and women. Why do you not join me to end this insurrection and restore Auran rule over this realm?”
“Does not your duty to the Empire demand you march to Aura to protect the Senate from men like the Butcher?” countered Bellona, radiating magical charisma. “If the Senate ordered me to Aura, I would march there at once. But they have not. My orders leave me here, in Jubai. And here I shall stay, unless by force of arms I am compelled to depart.”
Bellona persisted. “We have you outnumbered. Our troops are undefeated, while yours are mostly raw militia. You cannot hope to win.”
“That may be so,” said Ionicus. “But no prefect in Auran history has surrendered to a rebellion, and I will not be the first to do so. I will not besmirch my family’s honor by retreating in the face of rebellion. If, under the Light of Ammonar, I win, then my family shall reap the glory. If I lose, then I will die having done my duty, and the Ionicus name shall not be besmirched.”
“Then we must fight,” said Bellona. “May Ammonar grant victory to the righteous,” said the Prefect.
The Battle of Jubai was fought on 23rd Genelen. The battlefield was a lush oasis punctuated by three palm-lined pools spread in an arc left-to-right.
Ionicus deployed his army in five battalions. Each battalion had a company of heavy infantry, two companies of light infantry, and a company of militia. The battalions on the left and right flanks were reinforced with a company of light cavalry, while the three center battalions had an extra company of militia. Ionicus took command of the right (easternmost) battalion, with his henchmen Drakima (a bladedancer) and Jannion (a fighter) in his retinue. Various legates of the empire commanded the remaining battalions.
The Dragons of the Desert deployed their army in six battalions. From left (east) to right (west), the battalions were: Mahmud, with a company of horse archers, three companies of camel lancers, and two companies of camel archers; Senef, with three companies of light infantry and one company of composite bowmen; Ethlyn, with one company of heavy infantry, two companies of veteran light infantry and mamelukes, two companies of composite bowmen, and one company of camel archers; Zoya, with four companies of light infantry, two companies of composite bowmen; Bey Abbas, with three companies of light infantry and one company of composite bowmen; and Bey Kamal, with three companies of light infantry, one company of composite bowmen, and one company of camel archers.
In total there were 33 companies under the Dragons, arrayed against 25 companies under Ionicus. The Dragons of the Desert had 4:1 advantage in cavalry, but Ionicus had five times as many heavy infantry.
Mahmud opened the battle by advancing his camelry in a wide flanking march around the easternmost oasis towards Ionicus’ right flank. This brought him into line of sight of Ionicus and Drakima. The battle-hardened casters placed a wall of stone to channelize the camelry, then unleashed fireballs and insect plagues on the advancing troops. Mahmud’s lieutenant Umar was melted by the blazing fire, and his camelry routed. The flank attack was stalled.
On the Dragon’s right flank, Abbas and Kamal advanced slowly. Kamal’s battalion was heavily engaged by skirmishing tactics by the light cavalry and javelineers they confronted. It was clear the battle would not be won here.
In the center, Ethlyn, Senef, and Zoya’s battalions were gaining ground, but it was tough going. Each of Ionicus’ battalions had a tough heavy infantry company at its core, buttressed by light infantry skirmishing with javelins, and the Dragons’ lighter troops found it tough going. The mamelukes took the brunt of the casualties.
However, Suad and Shikra, scouting overhead invisibly from the flying carpet, had been able to locate Ionicus after he began casting spells. Here was a chance to cut the head off the serpent! The mage and warlock positioned themselves above and to the rear of Ionicus’s unit. Suad unleashed a fireball onto Ionicus and Drakima, but a globe of invulnerability dissipated its effects. Shikra then used a scroll of flesh-to-stone to petrify the war mage, but he resisted the spell. The Dragon’s two casters were now painfully exposed, and they paid the price. Ionicus unleashed a lightning bolt, and Drakima a flame strike. The mages were incapacitated, and the flying carpet crashed to earth, smoking.
Mahmud now rallied his camelry battalion and led a charge against Ionicus’s battalion. This attack swept away several companies of the enemy. Around the same time, Ethlyn, Senef, and Zoya brought up their reserves and smashed through Ionicus’s center. Ionicus’ left was still holding, but the morale of the Auran army was fast beginning to collapse.
Ionicus and Drakima fell back to the smoking remains of Suad and Shikra, perhaps hoping that the bodies of the heroes (or their magic items) would be useful bargaining chip after the battle. They needed just a few moments of time to gather the fallen and fly away. They didn’t get them. Mahmud, Ethlyn, Zoya, and Senef advanced unremittingly, and the Auran position was swept away. Ionicus and the rest of the Auran leadership escaped, but they had been decisively defeated.
After a heated pursuit, the total casualties were:
Ionicus: 750 killed, 750 captured
Dragons of the Desert: 350 killed, 140 missing
As the day ended, the air was filled with the cries of the wounded and the scents of dead men and camels. Even as the vultures fed, the Dragons planned their next steps.
As the 24th of Genelen dawned, the Dragons of the Desert knew they had to seize Jubai quickly, before Gundus Ionicus could occupy it. Leaving Senef and Abbas’ divisions to slowly march the prisoners-of-war, the Dragons of the Desert raced southward. Their forces arrived around noon. The gates of the great city were closed, and no flag flew over its walls.
Mahmud advanced forward with his honor guard of Mamelukes. From the walls, a hook nosed-man with bulbous lips on a thin face called down in a high-pitched voice. “Hail, Mahmud, Lion of the Desert. I am Nasser, vizier of Jubai. There is no need for violence this day. We will open the city gates to you, if you promise not to sack the city.” “I cannot promise this,” called Mahmud. “I have sworn to my men that for their loyal service, the city is theirs to sack.” There was a murmur of fear on the city walls. Nasser called down, “then you will condemn thousands of women and children to death!” “It is not I who have condemned them. Blame your Prefect.” Mahmud whirled and left.
Despite Mahmud’s stern words, Jubai presented a formidable obstacle. It was a walled city, with an older walled casbah, Old Jubai, within. Two citadels protected the city. The Dragons began to encircle the city but their numbers were insufficient to form a blockade. With no artillery or siege equipment, the only way to capture the city would be a brutal assault. Through crystal balls and magic carpet, the Dragons of the Desert were able to determine that there were about 1,500 defenders, but they were ill-equipped and poorly-trained conscripts – literally any man who could fight. Still, even militia would be formidable when defending their walled city.
As the day progressed, deserters from Ionicus’ army began to trickle in. Mahmud rode out to disperse them, but they sought enlistment. “We are tired of fighting for butchers and losers. You are undefeated on the battlefield. You shower your soldiers in the spoils of war. How do we sign up?” Mahmud made provision for them to join the camp.
By nightfall, Senef had arrived with the prisoners-of-war. Ethlyn gave a rousing speech inviting the prisoners to join the army. Those who would not join were to exiled to the desert. Such was her charisma that all were recruited – all save the 15 prisoners of Ionicus’ elite guard. These men marched into the desert, heads held high.
The Dragons now convened a war council. Mahmud rose to speak, and the beys and aghas praised Mahmud for his glorious camelry charge in the preceding day’s battle. He thanked them for the kind words and explained the situation. “Tomorrow we can assault the city. It will be a formidable fight. Should we win, the city will be yours to sack. Or we can accept their surrender and enter peaceably. In this case, we will pay you for the value of the pillage from the city’s treasury. Which do you choose?” Heated debate ensued, but in the end only Bey Abbas wanted to risk death to sack the city. “We shall accept the city’s surrender and enter peaceably then,” said Mahmud.
It was now around midnight. The Dragons decided there was no better time to demand Jubai’s surrender. Mahmud and his guards arrived at the walls and demanded to speak to Nasser. After a few minutes, the vizier appeared. “It is customary to begin a night-time assault by surprise, grand mufti,” said the sleepy-eyed Nasser. “We have come to accept your surrender. Open the gates and we shall not sack your city,” said Mahmud. “I will need a few hours to inform the city fathers. At present everyone is making preparations for their imminent demise. Might you give me a few hours?” “I shall return at dawn,” agreed the paladin.
After the vizier vanished, Zoya climbed the walls. Hidden by her elven apparel, she slinked through the darkened city, slowly making her way towards the palace. The city was in chaos, with messengers running in various directions, nervous militia set at guard posts, and citizens had at work barricading their homes. As she approached the palace, the clever-fingered thief borrowed an officer’s badge from a passing lieutenant and used her new “rank” to enter. The palace interior was as chaotic as the city. After some minutes of searching, she found the treasure vault. The great bronze door was locked, and four militia men were arguing about how to get it open. Zoya revealed herself and commanded the militia to return to their posts. One of the conscripts shouted “An officer! I bet she has the key to the treasure!” and they drew their weapons. Calling on Nightbringer’s power, Zoya extinguished the light in the hallway and murdered the conscripts in the darkness. She was unable to get the treasure vault’s lock opened, however, so she fell back to pursue another agenda: Subversion. Telling a different story to every militia patrol she encountered, Zoya soon had half the city in a state of panic.
Meanwhile, Mahmud and Ethlyn were summoned to the picket lines. The sentries had caught a man sneaking out of a sewer-pipe. His hand-cart was laden with platinum coins and silver jewelry – almost 100,000gp worth. The man identified himself as Yosef. “I am bringing an offering to the Great Mufti! The treacherous Nasser the Eunuch – who cannot be trusted – planned to steal the treasures of Jubai. But I discovered his plot, and took these treasures instead. I gift them to you!” Even without magic, Mahmud sensed this was a bald-faced lie. But Suad’s telepathic powers confirmed it as utter falsehood. The man was a thief, and his thoughts were “I hope he believes me! Maybe he’ll give me a reward even bigger than what Nasser promised…”
“I am told you are a liar and a traitor,” said Mahmud. “Who would slander me so?” said Yosef. “I would,” said Suad, revealing himself. At the sight of the sinister mage, the thief wet himself and fell on his knees. “Please, Great Mufti! I am but a humble thief, one who has climbed from the depths of being a mine slave to make something of himself. I know your comrade Zoya employs such as me! I will serve her loyally.” “You have already shown you are willing to betray your master, Nasser. Why would I take one such as you into my service?” said the grim-faced holy warrior. Suad smiled evilly. “Allow me to summon a hydra and we shall tear him into five pieces.” “No,” said Mahmud. “I must handle this myself.” His face an implacable mask of justice, Mahmud seized the thief, bodily carried him into the center of the camp, and beheaded him. Yosef died still begging.
The party realized that if Yosef had fled with such a great treasure, it was likely that Nasser had as well. Sadly, Suad’s scrying was unable to find the eunuch… all he saw were patches of sandy desert.
At dawn on the 25th, the gates of Jubai were opened, though not by Nasser. A council of elders was in loose control, and all too happy to surrender to an armed force that had sworn mercy and could re-exert order. It took until the 1st of Juselen for the city to be fully pacified. After considerable debate, the Dragons decided that Mahmud would rule as the Vali of Jubai, while Ethlyn remained as Pasha of Khaibar and Bellona took over as Pasha of Old Jubai.
The conquest of Jubai was a heady time for the Dragons. Henchmen, mercenaries and followers flocked to the city to take service with the great conquerors. A band of holy warriors, leading two platoons of light cavalry, swore undying loyalty to Mahmud. Another two platoons of light cavalry pledged themselves to Ethlyn. Suad hired a magical scholar named Majid and a Kushtu witch-doctor named Isingoma to his service. Rakh was able to hire Thrassians from the local arena, recruiting Atrekh the Beast Fighter, Sitahitan the Prize Fighter, and Ubakhi the Manhunter to his service.
While these machinations were accomplished, Zoya began to receive missives from her spies in Alakyrum. Cainan reported “The Council of Wisdom denied requests by Ber-Gathy and Hissar to be placed in charge of the Vilayet of Jubai. The emissaries were sent away.” Jafar reported, “Ambassadors from the rebellious cities of Ummal, Tariq, Jayyan, and Byblos have arrived with peace offerings at Alakyrum. Fareed reported, “The city of Nuvië was devastated by a tsunami. The Council of Wisdom claims this proves Imran supports our righteous cause.” Zoya quickly surmised that it was no coincidence that Nuvië had been destroyed just as four rebellious cities were suing for peace. Perhaps Imran did favor the Opelenean cause!
With Alakyrum apparently supporting the Dragon’s claim on Jubai, and winning the revolutionary war, the Dragons turned their attention back to other threats: Ionicus and Amur-Sin. Senef consulted with the spirits. “Is Prefect Ionicus staying in Opelenea?” No. “Is Amur-Sin a month or less from completing his ritual?” Yes. “If we left tomorrow, could our army reach Amur-Sin in time to stop the ritual?” Yes.
Based on this tidings, it was clear Amur-Sin had to be the top priority. The next day, 2nd of Juselen, the Dragons of the Desert began to march their army towards the Howling Emptiness. The mages stay behind to conduct spell research, while Ethlyn and Bellona led the army. Mahmud raced ahead to Khaibar on the flying carpet. His plan was send couriers to Hissar and Ber-Gathy to demand troops for the fighting in the west.
To his surprise, Mahmud found a battalion of troops camped outside of Khaibar. A Kemeshi pennant, showing a black lion on a golden field, hung over the camp. The troops within were Mamelukes, and they were waiting for Mahmud. When the paladin approached he was greeted by a dark-skinned titan of a man who saluted proudly. “We are the Pride of the Black Lions,” said the Mameluke. “Once slaves, now free, we seek gold and glory in battle. We are told that you are invincible in battle. We offer you our arms.” “Your offer is accepted,” said Mahmud.
SESSION FIFTY-SEVEN
The Dragons of the Desert were on the march with an army of 4,500. Opting to keep the army in formation rather than leave behind the slower-moving heavy infantry, the Dragons reached the oasis of Khabel on 8th Juselen. From there, they headed south-west into the Desert of Desolation.
The events that occurred next have already become legend among the troops. A pride of lions was spotted feasting on slain camels directly in the path of the army. Curiously, the beasts could not be scared away by outriders, but they did not seem hostile either. Mahmud and Ethlyn rode forward, and the lions revealed themselves to shapechangers – lycanthropes with golden hair and eyes. “Word of your glorious deeds hallows even these desert sands. We have heard that you are lions among men. We offer you a gift. We can make this true.” Suad suddenly appeared. “Do it! A were-lion is a powerful creature. Your power will be awesome.” Mahmud raised his eyes to the holy sun of Imran, and then declined. “I must follow the path I am on,” he said.
Ethlyn smiled and opened her arms. “I would welcome your gift.” The were-lions roared exultantly and had the bard kneel before them. She felt the flesh of her neck being torn, and then blackness. She awoke in the baggage-train, being tended by Senef. The shaman gazed down at her judgmentally. “Now we’ll see what happens to you on the full moon.”
The moon waxed full on the 13th Juselen, as the army was encamped not far from the sunken city of Pazar. The change came to Ethlyn – her hair grew to a luxuriant golden coat and mane, a tail erupted from her spine, feet and hands became paws… She roared as the beast form took her. When dawn came, she seemed relaxed, and everyone politely ignored the camel gore spattered near her tent.
On the 16th of Juselen, the army reached Oued Taal. From there it advanced northwest to Khaibar. There it was joined by a congregation of Imranic chaplains, come to minister to the needs of the Faithful. Morale soared among the army. Rakh joined them in their proselytizing, and soon began to be called “The Rock of Faith,” managing to convert Atrekh, the Thrassian henchman, to his faith. On the 22nd, the Dragons had arrived at the oasis of Bab al-Djebel. From here they would strike westward across the Al-Baki Hills and into the Howling Emptiness.
While this was afoot, Shikra, Senef, Suad, and Suad’s assistant Majid and Isingoma were busy researching in Jubai. Diligent study of the Talisman of Al-Sindor by Majid, Senef, and Suad revealed that it could cure diseases and remove curses, while the Cup could bless those who drank holy water from it. Shikra and Isingoma were brewing potions of curing and necromantic potency.
In addition to research, Senef was also communing with the spirits each week to gather intelligence. On the 9th of Juselen, Senef asked “Does Amur-Sin have over 1,000 troops”? No. “Does Amur-Sin’s ritual relate to the Awakening?” No. “Is Amur-Sin south of the two oases on our map of the Howling Emptiness?” Yes.
On the 16th, he asked: “Is Amur-Sin west of the westernmost oasis on our map of the Howling Emptiness?” No. “Is Amur-Sin within 12 miles of the southern badlands marked on our map of the Howling Emptiness?” No. “Is Amur-Sin located at a spot we have a treasure map to?” No.
On the 23rd, Senef asked: “Will Amur-Sin finish his ritual this week?” No. Surprised at this, he asked “Has Amur-Sin already finished his ritual?” Yes. Alarmed, he asked “Does Amur-Sin now have an army of over 1,000 troops?” Yes…. There was no time delay. Senef realized the Dragons ought to have moved faster, perhaps striking at Amur-Sin as soon as his commune revealed he had few troops. With Shikra along to provide for invisibility, Senef set off on the flying carpet immediately to try to warn the army.
Unfortunately, on the 23rd of Juselen, the Dragons had already begun their westward march. The day become quite unfortuitously: Bey Abbas fell off his camel and broke his neck, dying instantly. The party was suspicious of foul play but witnesses all claimed that Abbas had simply had an accident, and Zoya could find no evidence of foul play. Without Senef the party had no way to restore Abbas to life, but they kept his corpse secure in the baggage-train. Ethlyn gave a moving speech praising Abbas for his lifetime of service to Opelenea. Nevertheless, it soured the mood of the troops.
The mood got much worse when the army’s outriders returned that night. An army of many thousands of skeletons and zombies had been spotted marching north in a valley about twenty-five miles west. “We’re too late,” said Bellona. “He’s completed his ritual and raised an army of the dead.”
Grief-stricken, Mahmud gave the order to fall back the next dawn. The army would retreat to Khaibar. Riders were sent to warn Bir-Muktar, Bou-Farfa, and Sidi-Hakeim to evacuate. On the 25th, the Dragons reached Khaibar, where they were met by Shikra and Senef. “I bear grave tidings!” said Senef. “We know…” said Mahmud. With her knowledge of the occult, Shikra was able to give a more detailed estimate of what they might be facing. She feared that Amur-Sin had cast undead legion, a powerful ritual that might have brought him as many as 5,000 or more skeleton troops.
On the 26th, Shikra departed soon after to gather the party’s other spellcasters from Khaibar. Riders arrived later that day with word from Pasha Abaddon of Ber-Gathy – “We have called our vassals to arms, but they will not be ready until the 2nd of Froelen. I pray it is soon enough.” In a hurried war council, the Dragons decided that if Amur-Sin’s army advanced north, they would march to Ber-Gathy to defend it.
The next morning, the 27th, Senef summoned the bustards, kites, and vultures of the desert and commanded them to find the enemy army and report back on what they learned. This proved a valuable reconnaissance tool, revealing that Amur-Sin’s army had advanced north and was now pillaging an oasis south-west of Ber-Gathy. Mahmud ordered the army to set off north.
Amur-Sin’s army continued to move north in the following days, as did the Dragons’ army. The Dragons reached Sidi-Hakeim on the 28th, and Ber-Gathy on the 1st of Froelen. They were met with relief by Pasha Abaddon al-Hamza. “I welcome you to Ber-Gathy as my sovereign lords, and praise Imran that you have come to offer us your protection,” said Abaddon. His servants then produced numerous chests, each filled with precious coin, offered in tribute to the Dragons.
Camel outriders and Senef’s avian scouts reported that Amur-Sin’s army had reached the oasis of Tuat. Tuat was a vassal domain of Ber-Gathy, and only a day’s march from the city. “My forces will be ready to fight tomorrow,” said Abaddon. “What should do?”
“Let us attack in the name of Imran, and die for him!” said Rakh, with more fervor than wisdom. His boldness swayed no one. The war council felt that Amur-Sin was likely to either march on Ber-Gathy or advance to Hissar, a fortress to the north. The Dragons decided that if Amur-Sin marched on Hissar, they would attack him in his rear. If he marched on Ber-Gathy, they would stand siege against him until Hissar’s forces could arrive.
Senef called on the spirits for guidance. “Is Amur-Sin personally leading his army?” Yes. “Is Amur-Sin planning to come to Ber-Gathy?” Yes. “Do the Cup and Talisman of Al-Sindor have any special power to destroy Amur-Sin?” No. Senef cursed…it had seemed so timely to find the Cup and Talisman, it was as if from the stories of old! But sometimes war is not a story book.
All through the 2nd of Froelen, Mahmud, Bellona, and Ethlyn marshalled the forces of Ber-Gathy and assimilated them into the army. Zoya spent the day reconnoitering the city and seeking out weak points and hidden ways in. Senef summoned weather and brought early springs rains, transforming the earth around Ber-Gathy into a morass of mud and soft sand.
The preparations continued through the 3rd of Froelen. The day was growing long when the cries rang up from the tower watch. “Enemy in sight!” The army of Amur-Sin had arrived.
SESSION FIFTY-EIGHT
Slowly wading through the mud, Amur-Sin’s undead army encircled Ber-Gathy from the west in an arc that extended from the middle of the city’s north wall to the middle of the city’s southern wall. The army halted outside of bow shot, their cadaverous masses dimly visible through the rain. Terrible chanting filled the air, and ten black wyrms rose above the army – dragons summoned to the service of the Thrassian sorcerer-priests. Then the very walls of the city began to shake as the earth itself moved beneath the foundations, insects swarmed the gates, and lightning began to crash down upon the troops on the walls, forcing them from the walls. Hidden in the rain, the enemy was using powerful magic.
The Dragons of the Desert and the magicians and priests of Ber-Gathy responded as best they could, resulting in a magical duel that lasted an hour and a half. 70% of the available spell power of the city’s forces were expended dispelling the enemy’s enchantments. Almost one hundred lightning bolts crashed down on Ber-Gathy. Senef began to call down lightning onto the enemy dragons, and succeeded in destroying one, and possibly its rider. The enemy responded by flying out of sight, then unleashing another swarms of insects, and opening up passwalls through the gates.
As Ber-Gathy’s defenders worked to dispel the passwalls, Amur-Sin’s army began its inexorable advance. The dragons remained out of bowshot, an ominous but as yet unused weapon. The defenders rushed back to man the walls and unleash arrows on the approaching skeletons and zombies. As the undead came closer, the defenders could see they were equipped with bone ladders, graven with ruins… magical siege ladders forged by Amur-Sin’s magic. The undead came closer, inexorable beneath pelting archery fire.
As the skeletal ladders touched the walls, the dragons attacked. The soaring charge of nigh a dozen dragons was a sight no man living had ever seen. Dragon-fear gripped the hearts of men, and the bravest of soldiers abandoned his posts and fled. For a moment, it looked as if the undead might take the walls of Ber-Gathy unopposed.
Then Ethlyn sounded the Trumpet of War. Its clarion echoed through the downpour, drowning out the fear and filling all who heard it with the courage of the kings of old. The defenders rallied. They would fight to the last. But as the sounds died, Ethlyn gurgled up blood from her lungs – to blow the Trumpet in battle was to court death. She had barely survived. But this deed would be recorded in the annals, for it had saved a city!
As the troops raced back to the walls, the city’s spellcasters dealt with the dragons. Suad, Zerika, and Senef quickly dispelled three wyrms. With a word of power, Shikra crushed the spine of a fourth, and Suad managed to paralyze a fifth, sending it crashing down onto the spears and rubble below. Bellona and Shikra slew a sixth with magic missiles, while Suad summoned a chimera that slew the seventh. Waves of defensive archery fire killed the eighth dragon, and a lonely band of light infantry managed to catch the ninth dragon coming through the south gate and dispatched it. Shikra petrified the last and cackled evilly as its stony form plummeted from the skies.
The dragons had served their purpose, however; many of the defenders had been brutalized by their toxic breath, and by the time the tenth fell the undead were already fighting at the walls. Melee was joined!
At the western gate, Mahmud and Rakh led the elite Mamelukes from the front, cutting down skeletons like scythes during harvest team. Responding to the threat, the Thrassian mummy lord commanding the unit charged to counter-attack. The defenders watched in horror as Rakh was torn apart by the cadaverous claws and fangs of the undead lizard-tyrant. Mahmud held off the mummy lord while Senef rushed forward, and used his shamanic powers to dispel the mummy lord.
Meanwhile, at the southern gate, Ethlyn had transformed herself into a lion and was hotly battling an impressively powerful mummy lord, called Shemush, vizier of Amur-Sin. Ethlyn and Shemush fought tooth and nail, claw on claw. Then the tide turned as a sinister human mage appeared to assist Shemush. Even as he unleashed magic at Ethlyn, the bard recognized him as Mustafa, a sorcerer once in the employ of the bandit chieftain Yasir al-Achmed that they had fought two years before! Yasir al-Achmed’s bandit band must have been enslaved by the vile Thrassians…
It was then that Amur-Sin revealed himself. The terrible Thrassian tyrant seeming erupted onto the battlefield to a towering height of over 20’, charging at Mahmud. “My awakener! Welcome to oblivion!,” gloated the monster.
Bellona, rushing to Mahmud’s aid, unleashed her obsidian blade at Amur-Sin. She blanched as her spell bounced harmlessly off Amur-Sin’s powerful protections. “We’ve got to dispel his defenses!” shouted the spellsword…but there were no magical resources remaining to do so.
Senef blasted Amur-Sin with dispel evil, but the creature’s implacable will resisted the spell. It turned its baleful attention onto Senef. “I admire your courage, shaman. You will serve me well as an undead.” Soon the shaman was being rended by Amur-Sin’s savage claws. He went down in a heap of blood. “For Imran!” shouted Mahmud as he charged the terrible Thrassian mummy. True Death carved past Amur-Sin’s armor and cleaved deep into his cadaverous breast. For a moment, victory seemed possible. Then Amur-Sin’s shattering blows crushed both of Mahmud’s legs, and the general went down! Bellona grabbed Mahmud’s body and fell back, even as the last of the Mamelukes died to Amur-Sin’s Thrassian zombies.
With Mahmud down, Ethlyn would have to assume command. At that very moment, the bard was hard-pressed at the south gate. Covered with wounds, she had disengaged from Shemush. Dornethan had covered her retreat with a volley of arrows, but the assassin was now reeling backward, his head soaked with blood from where his ears had been torn off. Things might have collapsed had Suad not swooped in on his flying carpet and paralyzed Mustafa with a blast from his wand, forcing Shemush to dispel him.
Even so, Shemush was unchecked, the dragons had lost Mahmud, Rakh, and Senef, Ethlyn was cripplingly injured, and Amur-Sin was in the city…
SESSION FIFTY-NINE
The situation was dire. The enemy was everywhere on the walls, and though their ranks had been savagely thinned by the defender’s determined resistance, retreat seemed the wisest option. Bellona, Shikra, and Suad began to evacuate the fallen. Mahmud’s body was carried back to Ber-Gathy’s citadel on the flying carpet, while Bellona invisibly moved to where Senef and Rakh had been dispatched.
Ethlyn was preparing to sound the general retreat when Shemush’s zombies charged her formation. Her men were overrun and the bard found herself isolated. Mustafa and Shemush unleashed arcane blasts that struck her head on, and she fell, her face a gory ruin of its former beauty. She might have been captured had Androcles and Umar not just been arriving with reinforcements to the south gate. Umar pulled Ethlyn’s fallen body to safety while Androcles charged at Mustafa and Shemush. The centurion quickly cut down the malevolent mage, but Shemush’s riposte in turn felled Androcles. Umar quickly entered the fight to assist his friend, and with great courage actually struck a blow against the tyrant! “How dare you injure me,” raged the mummy lord, as he felled Umar, too.
While these dark events were underway, Bellona had managed to bring Rakh and Senef back to the care of Suad and Shikra. The shaman and gladiator were alive, though barely; Suad stuffed them into his portable hole over their feeble protests.
With Mahmud and Ethlyn both incapacitated, command of the increasingly-desperate defenders now fell to Pasha Abaddon al-Hamza, pasha of Ber-Gathy. “You’ve got to sound the retreat,” urged Bellona. “We can’t win this!” “I will never abandon my city to these undead monsters,” said the pasha. “I would die first.”
And he did. In the first rank of his elite camel lancers, Abaddon led a charge across Ber-Gathy’s plaza and into the advancing ranks of Amur-Sin’s Thrassian zombies. Sharp lances carved through the ranks of the dead, thundering animals trampled the fallen. And then Amur-Sin crushed Abaddon’s skull like an egg.
Much to her surprise, the thief Zoya now found herself in command of an army. She was going to order a surrender when Bellona and Shikra suddenly announced they had a plan to destroy Amur-Sin. Taking up Mahmud’s blade True Death, Bellona enchanted herself with haste and invisibility. She then drank a potion of polymorph and assumed the form of a mighty storm giant.
As the invisible, gigantic, hasted, undead-slaying spellsword approached Amur-Sin, Shikra shape changed into a bat and flew overhead. And then the warlock transformed herself into a leviathan and dropped on the mummy’s head. As 30,000 pounds of flesh smashed downward, sending Amur-Sin careening, Bellona charged! Her blade bit deeply into Amur-Sin, hewn forward by her gigantic size and strength. The lizard-king might have died had Bellona’s next blow hit, but it did not. With preternatural power, the lizard-king recovered himself and then … vanished.
Thinking that Amur-Sin had turned invisible, Bellona began to search for the mummy lord. Instead, she found herself surrounded by hideous oozes and slimes, summoned by Shemush. The gigantic elf crushed several homes and dozens of innocents in a mad scramble to evade the oozes. She had almost made good her escape when Amur-Sin revealed himself – above Bellona, having teleported up and taken flight. The vile lizard-king sent a fireball hurling downward, and Bellona fell, instantly slain by the incinerating flame.
Suad had meanwhile gathered up the bodies of Ethlyn, Androcles, and Umar into the portable hole, and taken them back to the city’s keep. There the local imam, Farouk al-Raziel, was doing what he could for the fallen. Zoya had managed to rally the remaining defenders and thrown them back into the fight against the undead. While fearless and implacable, the undead forces were by now greatly thinned. If Amur-Sin couldn’t be killed, perhaps he could be made fearful enough to retreat? Perhaps by slaying his right-hand minion? Perhaps one last push? She sounded the attack!
The enemy seemed to similarly have decided the path to victory lay in killing the enemy leadership. Thrassian mummy lords took flight from their units and began to advance towards the citadel at the center of the city. The party needed to strike hard! In bat form, Shikra few over the Thrassian Shemush’s head, and shapechanged back into a leviathan. Her obscenely bulky form fell from 60’ up onto the mummy lord and pinned him down.
A moment later, the airborne Amur-Sin incinerated Shikra with another fireball, allowing Shemush to rise. Dornethan and Zoya charged into the fight. The assassin and thief both hit, leaving Shemush staggering. The enraged mummy lord struck out at Dornethan, and the assassin went down.
With Thrassian tyrants about to enter Ber-Gathy’s citadel, Suad had relocated to the northern wall. That stretch of the battlefield was under assault by human zombies under the command of none other than Yasir al-Achmed. The enslaved bandit chieftain was hacking his way up the walls as Suad arrived. The mage had planned to fight Yasir, but the fighting against Shemush was going so badly he knew he had to make that his priority. Suad, now unleashed a spell he had researched in secret: fist of stone. A massive blow of elemental stone smashed into Shemush.
The mummy lord was staggeringly damaged and took wing to flee. Suad showed now mercy and hurled another fist of stone. The Thrassian tyrant fell, destroyed. Suad exulted in his victory. Once the lowly utility mage, brought along to detect magic and open doors, now he was the slayer of a millennium-old mummy lord. “I’m the one who knocks!” he shouted triumphantly, as he raced away on his magic carpet, tossing a contemptuous shoe at Yasir al-Achmed for good measure. Zoya waved him off and then hurriedly looted the body.
Shemush’s destruction seemed to unnerve Amur-Sin. He hurled a fireball in Suad’s vicinity, but the mage was long out of range. “They have slain Shemush and revealed themselves to have an archmage with heretofore unseen magicks,” the lizard-king muttered to himself. Rather than expose himself to continued fighting, he instead moved to where Mustafa had fallen, and collected the mage’s body. He was content to let his troops continue the battle while he supervised from behind the lines.
The Thrassian tyrants had by now reached the citadel of Ber-Gathy. Farouk al-Raziel, aged imam of the city, died fending them off to give time for the rest of the party to flee. Majid, Suad’s apprentice, used the moment to hastily cast magic carpet on a stolen rug and fly away. The palace wizard, Jafar the Resplendent, attempted to jump on board but missed and was last heard shouting oaths and obscenities. “How dare you leave me behind you miserable cur! I am Jafar the RESPLENDENT, by Imran!” Majid was not being selfish in abandon Jafar, however, for he swooped downward and seized Dornethan’s body before racing off.
Zoya, last commander on the battlefield, gazed around at the ruin and realized there were no remaining undead formations… all had been destroyed or dispersed in her force’s last attack! But Amur-Sin and the Thrassian tyrants were still in the air, and it was not clear how they could be dealt with, given there were no more heroes to fight them. Zoya sounded the retreat, then crept away hidden by her elven cloak.
The battle was over. It was hard to know who had won. Amur-Sin’s undead army had been destroyed. The Dragons and their army had slain Shemush, 10 summoned dragons, 210 Thrassian zombies, 616 zombies, and 5760 skeletons. The Thrassian tyrants could ravage the city, but without an army they could hardly hold it. Yet the Dragon’s own casualties were a staggering 2,919 dead out of 6,090. The heroic leadership of Mahmud, Ethlyn, and Zoya, along with the desperate situation and the incredible power of the Trumpet of War, had kept their army fighting lost past the point when any normal fighting force would have broken.
Moreover, their personal situation was bleak. When they rallied at the oasis north-east of Ber-Gathy, the only full members of the party still standing were Suad and Zoya. Mahmud had been restored to life, but would be exhausted for two weeks. Senef had a broken hip. Ethlyn was incapacitated with pain and gruesomely scarred by a lightning bolt. Rakh was only dimly conscious, having suffered a cracked skull from the melee, and was seemingly brain damaged. Shikra’s left arm had been burned off by a fireball. Dornethan and Umar were likely dead, and Bellona certainly was, a grisly ruin.
Rarely had the crows feasted so well.
Wow! Seems like a fairly solid test of D@W. Great stuff!
It was about as extreme a test of D@W as I can imagine! It was a Battalion-scaled assault on a walled city with about 12 heroes on each side, featuring undead units, flyers, and more. Madness!
Of the best kind!
I think my brain would be leaking out of my nose a little trying to manage that kind of scenario.
The sane thing to do would have been to run it using the Campaign rules with heroic forays. But I wanted to try the insane!
SESSION SIXTY
What remained of the Dragon’s army retired from Ber-Gathy in good order, encamping for the night in an oasis a few miles distant. Red plumes of flame and black, billowing clouds of smoke were visible through the night as the Thrassian tyrants savaged the remainder of the city.
Come the morning, Senef had recovered enough to work his healing magic on the party’s dead and wounded. Bellona and Ethlyn were restored with no immediate ill effects, but it would be weeks until they could fight; Mahmud, Rakh, and Suad also would need weeks of rest. Shikra’s restoration was even more ill-fated; so battered was her frame that she could not even be made fully human, and she emerged from the spell with vestigial bat parts. Androcles was too far gone for restoration to have effect at all, and Senef was forced to reincarnate him. Androcles returned as a fit Celdorean male, but the new Androcles wanted no part of the life of the old. “Whatever burdens of duty lay upon me in my prior life are lifted. I am a new man, and I will pursue a new destiny,” he said, departing for Hissar.
The party was aggrieved at Androcles’ departure, but they could not spare much time to persuade him. A divination by Senef had announced, “a city is on its knees, lacking a ruler’s decrees.” The Dragons interpreted this to mean that Ber-Gathy needed their leadership, and marched directly there. Arriving at sunset on the 4th of Froelen, the party found Ber-Gathy still intact, the flames extinguished. Zoya snuck forward to reconnoiter. She learned that only about 10% of the city had been destroyed, with the Tower of Knowledge having been utterly pillaged. There were still about 1,000 people in the city; but the dead outnumbered the living by three to one. The citizenry were working to deal with the corpse-strewn rubble but no one seemed to be in charge.
The Dragons entered at the head of their army and seized control. Senef was appointed the new pasha of Ber-Gathy. Behrouz, the Dragon-Slayer, head of the heroic light infantry that had slain a dragon, was made new Agha of Bab al-Djebel. The young hero was overcome with honor: “Never did I expect Imran’s blessing to be so great, to receive such a gift from such a gift,” he murmured to his new pasha, Ethlyn.
On the 5th, scouts reported back with sad tidings from the west. “Hundreds of prisoners are being herded to the southwest, into the Howling Emptiness!” These could only be survivors of Ber-Gathy, being taken back to Amur-Sin’s lair for his sinister rituals. The Dragons were desperate for vengeance, but to attack Amur-Sin in their weakened state would be certain doom. Instead, they put a call for aid: “The Shields of the South are looking for mercenaries, henchmen, and marshals!” Over 100,000gp flooded the guildhalls, caravanserai, and ports of Southern Opelenea sending word of their need.
While Senef devoted himself to rulership, Zoya began to receive word from her spies. Bartini wrote in, “As you know, I keep close tabs on the palace through friends in the scullery. The Council of Wisdom has been in session non-stop for days. It must be very pressing business because they aren’t even letting the kitchen staff leave the palace!” Karim wrote, “I saw a military map in a merchant’s guild hall. There were two army tokens near Pyros, but one of the tokens had been knocked over as if it had been defeated.”
Reports from army scouts continued to trickle in over the following days. The enemy’s prisoners-of-war were last sighted between the Al-Baki Hills and the Blasted Hills, heading south-west into the Howling Emptiness. On the 8th of Froelen, Senef decided it was time to commune. “Will Amur-Sin have a new army?” No. “Does Amur-Sin have a phylactery?” No. “Is the Council of Wisdom currently planning to betray us?” No.
On the 15th of Froelen, word arrived from Besherab nomads that the Thrassian slave caravan had been spotted near the southern oases of the Howling Emptiness. This prompted further communion from Senef. “Is Amur-Sin’s lair within 18 miles of the south-western oasis on our map?” Yes. “Is Amur-Sin raising another undead army within the month?” No. “Does Amur-Sin have other minions we haven’t seen?” Yes.
With these insights, the Shields of the South decided that they would attack Amur-Sin when their strength was regained. They would use the intervening weeks to finish spell research and continue to explore the powers of the Cup and Talisman.
Senef soon learned that the Cup could pour cure wounds with a drop of holy water, and also that if the Talisman was immersed in a Cup full of holy water, it could create a miraculous potion. Bellona learned dispel magic. Suad made little progress in his own research, but Bellona managed to learn the valuable dispel magic.
On the 22nd, a flight of eagles was spied circling above the citadel of Ber-Gathy. This was a good omen, for eagles are sacred to Imran. This same day, word reached Ethlyn that her long-sought dire lion was being imported from Alakyrum and would arrive at Khaibar at month’s end. Suad took another opportunity to commune with the spirits. “Can Amur-Sin innately see invisible?” No. “Is Amur-Sin aware of our portable hole?” No. “Is Amur-Sin making specific preparations against our shapechange trick?
By the 26th, the Shields of the South were ready to depart. Mounted on camels, they set off. After a day of riding, they reached the oasis of Tuat…the ruins of it. The casbah was a pillaged ruin and the lush oasis was scorched and burned. Senef blessed the land before the party departed.
That night, Rakh and his minion Ubakhi got into a argument over the merits of eating Mahmud. Rakh was still chastening his minion when a strange figure shrouded in dark robes stumbled into their camp, seeking to join in the feast on man-flesh. Mahmud quickly slew the creature, which turned out to be a white-skinned troll. Shikra insisted they allow the troll to regenerate so she could interrogate it. “Why is your skin so weird?” asked the weird hybrid bat-witch. “Cursed by the gods at birth,” the sad creature said. “Ah…an albino,” said Shikra. “That’s all I needed to know.” At a signal, Mahmud beheaded and burned the thing, leaving some of its rubbery white flesh as reagents for the warlock.
On the 27th, the party reached an unnamed oasis near the Howling Oasis. Wide white curtains were visible hanging between the palm trees. Zoya quickly scouted ahead. “giant spider webs,” she reported. “Burn them.” Bellona was eager to oblige and a nest of giant spiders was soon roasted from afar.
Later that day, the party neared the path to Krak al-Shidda, their one-time base. On that path the party espied seven desert nomads, in dark brown robes, mounted on dark brown camels, standing near a sandy berm. The nomads were eerily motionless, even as Mahmud, Umar, and Wazir hailed them. At 20 yards, Senef suddenly remembered – a gorgon had lived near Krak al-Shidda. Mahmud, Umar, and Wazir barely retreated in time as the gorgon charged from behind the berm. A moment later, the monster was dead to Senef’s finger of death.
The next day, 28th Froelen, the party reached the Howling Emptiness. No marker or signpost marked the border of that dread region; but as they camped for the night, a strange and terrible howling filled the air…
Looks like a typo…what was the answer to, “Is Amur-Sin making specific preparations against our shapechange trick?"
…not that I’m rapt, or anything…
Sorry, that was a typo! The answer is “no”.