*** Session 10 - Session Notes ***

This session was shorter than the last one; we had a barbeque cookout before the game and one of the guys showed up a little late so it took a bit before we got started.

This was I believe the first time since the campaign started we've managed to get three sessions in a row without interruption, which was nice as people finally remembered what happened the last couple of sessions. Sadly, I'm almost positive we'll have another month delay before the next session as I have a major work project going live during the weekend of our next regularly-scheduled session.

Overall, it was a fun session though M'Balz setting fire to the ship was a bit madcap and out of character; I think part of it was being annoyed at being left behind on the ship.

Random notes about the session:
* As usual, I predicted the likely course of action ahead of the session and rolled up the wind, random encounters, etc. ahead of time so as not to take up session time with it.

* Butrus praying on the third day and getting the wind on the fourth day, therefore, was a complete coincidence. And a very funny one.

* I didn't originally plan for the Wanderer to have a smuggler's compartment, but since they looked for one I figured why not. I was interested to see what they'd try to do with it, but it never came up.

* The "brace for impact" line with the killer whales was said in full Star Trek mode. We also joked about setting the ship to yellow alert and raising shields.

* M'Balz was very insistent the seaweed was going to conceal a monster. Originally it wasn't so I did another random monster check when they got halfway across and came up with the sea lions.

* Everyone was picturing the Titanic when the Wanderer scraped the coral reef.

* As soon as M'Balz said he was taking all of his possessions off of the ship, everyone knew he was going to light it on fire.

* Butrus made many more comments in game about their nice ship, how they could use it to travel or sell, etc. after the player knew the ship was burned but the character did not. He was fairly annoyed at M'Balz burning it up.

* Gra'bir's comment to the farmer was actually more about his sheep starting to look attractive.

* I used some dramatic license on how long the ship fire burned and how quickly the others returned. I figured M'Balz deserved a random encounter for burning the ship, but knew he'd be quickly killed on his own (he has about 1/2 or less the hit points of everyone else due to his extremely low CON).

* The hags were rolled up randomly, as was their treasure. I used a fair amount of dramatic license to allow Butrus to find the cave underwater, but I knew they'd need the treasure to bring back M'Balz.

* M'Balz's death in battle was the result of a bad critical hit by the hag.

* I liked the idea of going back to the farmer to cart everything back to the city.

* M'Balz started with a Con of only 6. He barely survived the raise dead, and I use a rule that Con gets lowered by 1 with every resurrection, so now's he's down to only 5.

* The Ruhh Island chest had to stay a day at the locksmith's because I forgot to bring my notes from the previous sessions saying what was in it.

* The Ruhh Island chest is probably going to be anti-climactic when it gets opened. It was always supposed to just be a side treasure, not a great quest.

* I wanted to use some of the plots I had developed with the Whack-A-Dwarf, so I thought the logical thing would be to have a pirate hunter capture the ship and introduce the elements that way.

* Evhad's claims about Duha Al-Meha will be a major theme of the next session, as Butrus starts to learn more about who he was before his memory loss.

*** Session 11 - Cast of Characters ***

M'Balz Al-Badassi: A human rogue from the city. M'Balz is the member of a noble family with political connections, but is bored with his wealthy lifestyle and instead performs as a masked scoundrel for hire know as Al-Caliph.

Gra'bir Boubi: A human warrior from the desert tribe of the Wah'na Poq-yah tribe of the Haunted Lands. A superb hunter, Gra'bir has come to the city of Huzaz to look for a quest to prove himself a great warrior.

Adanband: An elf scholar and sorcerer from the city of Huzaz.

Butrus: A dwarf priest with a fervent faith and damaged memory.

*** Session 11 - Scene 1 (of ***

The mamluk guards move in to arrest Butrus. He protests, complaining about a lack of due cause and asking who the accuser is to be ordering his arrest. The head guard tells him to be quiet, saying the magistrate will decide what to do with him.

As the others look on in surprise, M'Balz politely suggests he believes the accusation could have merit though he is clandestinely observing Evhad Al-Ajami departing with the city bureaucrats and some of the other guards.

Gra'bir decides to ask Evhad what he knows about Butrus. When he calls out to ask what he knows of the dwarf, the Evhad responds very rudely asking how a peasant like him dare to speak to him. He tells Gra'bir to go back to his desert tribe.

M'Balz apologizes for Gra'bir, saying his servant speaks out of turn; he tells Sidi that Gra'bir is not very bright but useful.

Evhad seems temporarily mollified, but says he would have his servant whipped for such insolence. M'Balz says he will take care of it, then changes the subject back to Butrus. He asks the nobleman if he knows anything about the dwarf, saying he met the man in his travels and was disheveled and deranged when they found him.

The nobleman says he met Butrus a couple of months ago, in his home city of Hiyal. Evhad explains the dwarf gave him his name as Imam Duha Al-Meha. Gra'bir finds it interesting that the alternate identity was also that of a priest.

M'Balz says they know nothing of the dwarf, other than they found him with a goat on the way back to town. Evhad says that is not surprising, as Butrus was a most foul individual. The man goes on to explain that Butrus sold him what he believed to be indulgences from the Loregiver, but he later found out they were false.

Evhad confirms to M'Balz that Butrus did appear to be a legitimate priest of the faith, having the look about him. M'Balz also asks the man if he believes the dwarf to be dangerous, but Evhad says he is a petty thief and blasphemer, not a violent man. He also confirms with M'Balz that Butrus had no companions working with him either.

Once everyone leaves, the group decides what to do next. They know that blasphemy is a serious crime; in a moralistic city it would be a death sentence, but here in Wasat it would probably require only a large fine, a public whipping, and perhaps a minor form of maiming.

*** Session 11 - Scene 2 (of ***

Meanwhile, Butrus is taken back to the city jail. Along the way, he tries to get more information out of the mamluks about Evhad, but they refuse to respond.

When they arrive at the building, he is thrown into a cell with the pirates. Several of them crowd him. One of the pirates, a kobold, leers at him and starts talking about how Zargar likes dwarves like him that can be cut into little pieces. He tells Butrus to watch himself.

Using his magic, Butrus conjures a flame blade. He tells the kobold to back off before he cuts him. The kobold gets quiet quickly and everyone backs away from him.

Off in the corner, the ogre captain chuckles quietly to himself. He tells Butrus, "You have spirit, little one." Turning towards him, he asks the dwarf what his crime is.

Butrus extinguishes his flame. He explains he has been accused of being a con man by the prisoner from their ship. He asks the ogre what he knows of the man.

The ogre says the prisoner was not worth the effort it took to kidnap him. He explains the man's family refused to pay his ransom. The ogre goes on to say the man must not be well-liked, noting he apparently spent a lot of his money buying indulgences for the sins he committed. He says that only a fool such as the man would fall for such an obvious fraud.

Butrus then asks the ogre what his plan is for escaping. The ogre tells him not to mistake them having an enemy in common for being friends.

The priest continues to press the issue, saying it would mutually benefit them to work together to get out of jail. The ogre thinks for a minute, and agrees. He formally introduces himself, giving his name as Solak. Butrus introduces himself back.

Solak cautions the dwarf to watch himself around the others, particularly the kobold (whose name he gives as Dakhil).

Butrus hatches a plan, saying Solak should stand witness before the magistrate that Evhad talked of blaming someone at random in order to get out of whatever trouble he was in. Once he is freed, Butrus would then help the ogre to get free. Solak is skeptical the plan will work, saying the magistrate is unlikely to take the word of a pirate.

*** Session 11 - Scene 3 (of ***

Around this time, the guards come to bring Butrus before the magistrate. Out in the gallery, M'Balz, Gra'bir, and Adanband watch on. The magistrate, an elven woman named Qaniah, hears the evidence against Butrus presented.

Once Evhad is finished with his charges, the qadis asks Butrus for his response. Butrus is defiant about the charges; he says the evidence amounts to little more than hearsay.

Just then, Gra'bir decides to stand up and attempt to speak to the qadis. Butrus groans inwardly.

Gra'bir explains he is a traveler from the Wah'na Poq-Ya tribe and has seen proof that Butrus has the powers of a holy priest. He makes the argument that the Loregiver would not grant healing powers to a con man selling indulgences. The warrior then cuts himself to allow Butrus to show proof, though staggers a bit as he cuts a little deeper than intended.

The crowd begins to get loud at the act, but Qaniah calls for quiet. Butrus tries to go to Gra'bir, but the mamluks move to block his way. The qadis then tells them to step aside, saying she will allow him to prove his healing powers.

Unfortunately, Butrus takes two healing attempts to fully heal the dagger wound. Once he is done, the qadis says it is a strange case; she acknowledges he has healing powers but notes it did require multiple attempts.

Butrus tries to excuse the weak showing of his powers then tries to present his argument that Evhad's family would not pay his ransom and falsely accused Butrus to further his agenda.

Evhad begins yelling that Butrus is telling vicious lies. Butrus calls for the man's family and the pirates to be brought as witnesses.

Qaniah stops everyone from talking further. She says the circumstances are odd, but there is enough evidence for a formal trial. She releases Butrus on his own recognizance in the meantime, as long as he pledges to not leave the city, and sets his trial for three days hence.

Before leaving the magistrate's court, Butrus inquires after the pirates. He learns they have already been set for trial in two days. Knowing the pirates are likely to be found guilty and hanged, the dwarf realizes they will not be useful as witnesses for his own trial.

*** Session 11 - Scene 4 (of ***

Reunited, the group tries to decide what to do next. Gra’bir wonders if they should skip town, but Butrus wants to see what happens first. M’Balz likewise worries they will be caught if they try to flee.

They pass by the docks so Butrus can check on the Whack-A-Dwarf. He notices the ship has only a couple of guards. He ponders the idea of taking the ship, noting they would need to hire a crew.

Butrus then suggests M’Balz go to try and find Evhad and learn more information about him and his charges. M’Balz isn’t sure where to start, but the dwarf suggests he go looking for information in various coffee houses and other locations around town starting with the finer locations.

M’Balz is still unsure, so Butrus suggests he start by seeing if anyone at the magistrate’s office knows where he’s staying. The magistrate’s office doesn’t know, but suggests one of the nicer inns in town would be likely. M’Balz comments that it is interesting he would be able to afford it, but the clerk notes Evhad’s expenses were being paid by Sidi Haji.

Taking the pirate hunter as a strong lead, M’Balz gets more information about Sidi from the clerk. He gets some ideas of where the Sidi might have gone.

M’Balz starts with the lowest-end coffee house in the upper class area. Asking around, the people have heard of Sidi; he has apparently captured several pirates in the Suq Bay area. According to one man, he frequently clashes with Zargar Quarterman, who is believed to be allied with mermen.

No one around has heard of Evhad, so M’Balz gets little information there. He does discover Sidi Haji frequents an establishment known as “The Painted Lady”.

Heading to that location, M’Balz quickly spots the flamboyant pirate hunter sitting in a corner booth with a woman on either side. He appears to be drinking heavily and regaling them with his stories. Evhad is nowhere in sight.

M’Balz approaches the man, saying he is sorry to interrupt but may be able to make it worth his while. Sidi is not amused, immediately challenging M’Balz to his identity.

The young Al-Badassi introduces himself, but Sidi is not impressed. He tells the rogue to get to the point quickly, for he wants to finish his story. M’Balz says he, too, is looking for a story; he wants to know more about Evhad.

M’Balz goes on to explain Evhad’s charges against the dwarf, and how he knows nothing about it though always mistrusted the small man. He tells Sidi he wants more information to try and find the truth.

Sidi tells M’Balz to let the local constabulary handle it, though notes M’Balz has the look of a man who is not completely unfamiliar with dealing with the law. He sneers that one day he believes it may be a bounty on M’Balz he will be after.

M’Balz graciously bows out of the conversation as Sidi gets increasingly belligerent.  The rogue can tell the man is not trying to hide anything, but is merely an unpleasant, arrogant individual.

Spending the rest of the evening talking to others, M’Balz gets no closer to finding Evhad but does get stuck listening to the conspiracy theories of drunks. One such tale he hears is about a local sorcerer named Azuah Al-Jawwaf, who advises Caliph Haroun, plotting something with Prince Tannuous, the uncle of the Grand Caliph.

He also gets the attention of a very stupid woman named Lor’hi who offers to manage his business. Wisely, he tells her to leave his sight.

*** Session 11 - Scene 5 (of ***

Later that night, they all retire to their rented inn room at the Iron Gnome. In the middle of the night, they are woken to the sound of someone rapping on the door.

M’Balz draws his dagger and cracks the door. He asks who it is. The person beyond the door says with an outlander’s accent that he is looking for M’Balz Al-Badassi.

The rogue is intrigued, and notes that is not the question he asked. The man gives his name as Jess.

Butrus calls for M’Balz to let the man in, addressing him as his servant. M’Balz lets the man in but tries to immediately grapple him. Jess slips the grapple attempt and quickly puts a knife to the rogue’s throat. He then puts it away and smiles, telling him he means them no harm.

Adanband recognizes Jess as one of the three men he originally met with Rory. He greets the sorcerer as “smoke elf”, bidding him greetings.

Jess explains he is there on an errand, he’s been told their presence has been requested by his new boss (who he identifies only as “she”). The young cutthroat explains that after Rory left, he had to find a new job.

Gra’bir asks him about his job. Jess says he works on a ship. He describes the job as OK, though notes the grumpy orc named Klaver he works with isn’t the most cheerful person.

When asked the name of the ship, Jess says it is the Chameleon. Gra’bir suspected as much.

Feeling they have nothing to lose, they decide to go with him. Along the way, the outlander rambles on. He says he doesn’t mind the sailing, but he has trouble getting used to the strange locations and customs in Zakhara. Jess especially voices his dislike for the “ruined city” he had to go to in order to meet with “that strangely-dressed elf”. He also voices his dislike for local noble titles – naming caliphs, khedives, and sultans – saying he prefers proper titles like kings or barons.

When they board the ship, they find Klaver and Daria waiting. She greets M’Balz warmly, though his response is more guarded. She tells him he has gotten himself into trouble again, but M’Balz clarifies it is the half-man who has the issue.

Daria says she hears things and thinks she could help the situation, should he be willing to help her. M’Balz says he lives to serve, but notes she doesn’t live to pay, alluding to their problem last time.

The lizard woman says she will arrange to get the dwarf freed should they agree to move some more wine for her. Jess mumbles something about “that creepy city” being a strange place to pick up wine, but is silenced when Klaver smacks him in the head and tells him to shut up.

M’Balz wants to know if Daria plans to free the dwarf with real evidence, or manufactured. Daria confirms he really wants to know, but explains she actually knows very little about Butrus.

Daria does say that Evhad’s claims are both true and not true. According to her sources, Butrus did go by the name Imam Duha Al-Meha, but she knows that is not his real name.

M’Balz wonders if a serious beating would help restore the dwarf’s memory, or perhaps a drink of the wine. Daria tells him they can’t waste any of that wine, for Qubad is waiting for it. M’Balz clarifies they only need to deliver the wine once they are all back in Huzaz. Daria says Wasat is only a stopping point for part of her business.

The rogue also wants to know what Daria knows about Evhad. She says only that she knows enough to get him to drop the charges against Butrus should the right word enter his ear. According to her, he has peculiar tastes.

M’Balz wants to know what she means by that, but Daria refuses. She says it wouldn’t be any good to him anyway without all the details. She says she wants a fair trade; she’ll dispatch Jess to convince Evhad to drop the charges if M’Balz agrees to come back to Huzaz after and assist with the wine delivery.

The group agrees, though they know they do not want to be in Daria’s debt. She sends Jess off, who complains about having to go back into the city again. He mumbles something about how he should have gone east with Dean.

*** Session 11 - Scene 6 (of ***

M'Balz gathers the others together once they are off the ship. They decide the best course of action is to follow after Jess and wait to grab him once he's done talking to Evhad.

After a short while, he emerges from the inn. The group quickly surrounds him, stopping him from escaping into the shadows.

He asks them what they want. Butrus tells him that his name is being slandered, so he needs to know what is going on. Jess doesn't see what difference it makes since Evhad agreed to drop the charges, but Butrus insists he needs to know, threatening his life.

Jess says he only delivered the message he was told to by Daria. When asked what the message was, he says that it concerned the reason why Evhad was trying to buy indulgences. After Butrus presses the matter, Jess explains Evhad has a taste for young boys.

According to Jess, Daria learned Evhad was a customer of a vile clan of inbred troglodytes known as the Du'Gar clan. The clan lives in an area known as the Rape Caves of Yar, where they have a fanatical interpretation of the Loregiver's teachings that it is holy to peddle one's children to assuage the urges of men who desire them.

Butrus assures him the information will go no further and tosses him a couple of dinar. M'Balz offers a couple more, should the youth give them more information about the wine.

Jess says they've already went to a lot of trouble for the cheap wine. According to him, they sailed all the way up to Wasat and then over to a ruined city to meet with some strange elf.

M'Balz wants more information about the elf. Jess says he was dressed finely, but had the trappings and mannerisms of a slave. The youth believes he is from one of the cities of the ancients in eastern Zakhara based on the style of clothing and his accent. He gives the elf's name as Kinza.

Butrus asks more about the wine, but Jess knows little about that other than it is red, no one shook it, and all they did was take it from Kinza and load it on their ship.

M'Balz gives the couple gold to Jess, and the two agree this meeting will not be mentioned to Daria.

*** Session 11 - Scene 7 (of ***

Butrus still wants to go talk to Evhad so he can learn more about his background. The group discusses possible plans for some time.

The priest does not trust Daria and is positive the wine is not on the level. He says they should break one open to see what is really inside. M'Balz is concerned Daria would keep too close an eye on the wine for them to be able to slip one away.

M'Balz wants to use Sidi Haji to double-cross Daria, while Butrus would rather focus on freeing the pirates. In the meantime, they decide to knock on Evhad's door.

The man calls out to ask what they want now, and the group barges into his room. Butrus tells him they are all being used as pawns by others, but he wants to learn the truth.

Evhad tells Butrus the truth is the dwarf is nothing more than a thief. Butrus brings up the topic of little boys, saying he doesn't wish to start judging each other on morality.

Butrus then tells the man he simply wants to know what the man knows about him. Evhad explains he met Butrus a couple of months ago in the great suq, the bazaar of Hiyal, when he was looking for a new rug for his entryway. At that time, the dwarf gave his name as Imam Duha Al-Meha.

Evhad goes on to say after making the imam's acquaintance, his... troubles... led him to a need to cleanse himself with indulgences which he knew Duha was selling. He purchased some from Imam Al-Meha, but then later discovered he'd been cheated when the high priest of Hiyal, Imam Raman bin Alurah min Najm, declared all indulgences were fake and outlawed as blasphemy in the name of the Loregiver.

Shortly after discovering the falsehood, Evhad says he was captured by pirates attacking his merchant ship and spent the last couple of months imprisoned.

While Evhad is talking, an image begins to form in Butrus' mind. He sees a red brick building and sees himself entering a room in it through a secret door. Once inside, he sees himself putting some papers into a small locked box. The dwarf can tell the man appears to be telling the truth.

Butrus ponders the matter a moment. He says his memory is gone, but he believes the man to not be lying. Going on, he asks Evhad if he has any funds. Evhad laments he is forced to rely on the charity of Sidi Haji, who is no doubt going to expect patronage in turn once he gets back to Hiyal. The priest notes that deal could cost him more than he realizes.

M'Balz tells Evhad perhaps they can offer a better option – one that does not involve pirates, pirate hunters, smugglers, or what happens to pederast prisoners. He offers to have the group escort Evhad back to Hiyal in exchange for dropping the charges and helping them get to the bottom of what's going on.

Butrus tries to see if Evhad could assist in freeing the pirates, but he flat out refuses to help his captors. He does not believe the priest that the pirates could be a cunning way to get back to Hiyal.

The group discusses a number of possible scenarios – waiting for another of Evhad's merchant ships to visit, finding someone Evhad knows in the area, trying to steal the pirate ship, trying to frame Daria for a crime so they can steal her ship, and so on. Eventually, they decide to just find another ship on the docks they could buy passage from.

*** Session 11 - Scene 8 (of ***

The next day, the group continues with their plans. M'Balz wonders about paying Jess to get one of the bottles of wine, but Butrus still believes it is too risky. They eventually decide to get their chest from the locksmith, ensure the charges are dropped, and try to sick Sidi on Daria if possible, if for no other reason than to keep her out of the way.

They begin with having something to eat for breakfast. Then they head over to the locksmith's shop, where the unlocked chest is waiting for them.

They try asking the locksmith for a back room, but he does not have one. Nor is he willing to leave his shop while they open it.

Gra'bir uses his blanket to cover the chest and they decide to haul it back to their room at the inn. The covered chest does gain some attraction from local youth criminals, but they decide not to try to rob the group.

Once they are back in the room, M'Balz quickly opens the chest. Inside is a bottle labeled "potion of diminution", two suits of fine leather armor (one of them studded), and a pair of scrolls. Butrus uses his detect magic spell to detect all the objects are magical.

Looking at the objects closer, Butrus can see one of the scrolls is a priest scroll. It contains the spells of cure disease and pass plant. The other is a sorcerer scroll that Adanband identifies as contains spells of gust of wind and wind wall.

They decide to have Adanband go to the sorcerer's guild to get the magic items identified. He is able to get the armor identified at a cost of 100 dinar each.

Meanwhile, Butrus and the others arrange for transport to Hiyal at a cost of 20 dinar each. The priest also passes by a pie shop, but the others do not let him stop to purchase one of the tasty raspberry pies he smells. He continues to complain about wanting pie the rest of the afternoon.

Once everyone is back together, the group decides to sell the suit of regular leather armor and the studded leather M'Balz is currently wearing (as the new suit is better).

Adanband is elected to go sell the armor. After some minor haggling, he sells both suits to a leatherworker for 550 dinar.

Butrus then heads over to the magistrate and gets papers indicating he has been cleared of all charges. They also coordinate with Evhad on when the ship will leave for Hiyal.

Afterwards, they pay a poor youth a couple of dinar to verify the chameleon is still in port. M'Balz then tries to talk to Sidi Haji again. But the arrogant man wants little to do with him, saying he is a boring man wasting his time as Daria has no bounty on her.

At the appointed time, they all meet up on the ship but Evhad never arrives. Butrus does not want to hold the ship late in fear of Daria interfering, so he gives the captain the OK to push off.

With that, the ship begins heading north to Hiyal.

*** Session 11 - Session Notes ***

This session was pretty off. It started late, ended early, and had a lot of distractions in the middle. The only reason the write-up is so long is the entire session was character interaction.

The M'Balz player and I have been busy all weekend on an upgrade project. Texts regarding that project kept coming in during the Friday session since the upgrade began that afternoon. Compounding matters were a late arrival of one player and problems with the internet (delaying our Skype player). In retrospect, I probably should have just canceled the session given everything going on.

That said, its not that the session was bad, it just was a bit of a jumbled mess (both the M'Balz player and I frequently lost track of what was going on in the game, and the Adanband player via Skype had a hard time following what was being said at times).

Some misc notes about the session:
* The part about Butrus being a con man priest was always part of the character when I first rolled him up for the player. The player came up with the amnesia thing later, so I'm just slowly revealing the background I already came up with for him (this is one of those players who dislike creating their own character so they just have me do it).

* M'Balz throwing Butrus under the bus was quite funny, though I would have expected more conflict because of it.

* The part about "indulgences" is clearly borrowed from Christianity. Again, the faith of the Loregiver is a pastiche of various real world religions with all of their oddities (the goal is just to have a realistic-ish faith).

* I have no clue what the Butrus player was thinking about trying to ally with the pirates. Not only was it severely out of character for his normal moral compass, but the whole "lie to the magistrate" plot didn't even make any sense.

* Butrus' trial is a bit of a kangaroo court, on purpose (because it is a trial about blasphemy; as in real life, such accusations typically require very little proof).

* I'm glad the PCs didn't get themselves killed doing something stupid like staging a prison break or attempting to steal the pirate ship.

* Why the PCs thought Sidi Haji would assist them (not once, but twice) is another decision that stumps me. I made it pretty clear he was a self-interested opportunist.

* The stupid woman at the Painted Lady was an in-joke referring to someone we know.

* I had Jess show back up because I thought it made sense and didn't want to waste a good NPC (I love recurring NPCs). And yes, I have ideas for Dean and Logan to make their appearances again, too.

* Jess gave a lot of exposition and a ton of clues that could have revealed more information if the PCs asked about it. Sadly, they did not. I have the worst luck in trying to use "mystery plots" with players; they rarely seem to take a hint.

* I finally gave Daria's orc mate a name since he's shown up so much.

* Clearly Daria is delivering more than wine in those bottles. Why the PCs didn't pick up on that the first time I don't know. What's in the wine actually connects to a couple of plots I have going on.

* Evhad's crimes were given a bit more background information in the write-up than I gave during the session. I had some time to add in some pop culture references.

* The "Rape Caves of Yar" is another in-joke, this one aimed at the Gra'bir player who loves to rant about Tasha Yar being a useless character on Star Trek: The Next Generation who adds nothing to most episodes except talk about the "rape caves" on her home planet.

* I think the PCs caught enough of the clues about Kinza, but they aren't really putting the pieces together yet.

* Another head scratcher for me - the PCs go to a lot of trouble to make a deal with an admitted child rapist to avoid aiding a mere smuggler; even going so far as to only make a deal with him for him to do something he was already planning to do in exchange for protecting him on his trip back home. ?!?

* There was a rather hilarious moment in the session when they are hauling the chest around, where they almost make the mistake of taking it into a nearby alley instead of going back to the inn, before realizing what a bad idea that was.

* As before, they give the job of negotiating selling of the armor to Adanband because they know he will do a bad job but find it funny.

* Again, I have no clue why the hell the PCs thought Sidi would have anything to do with Daria. The plan made no sense at all to me (nor did it to the M'Balz player, he just kind of went with the flow while he was distracted).

* Evhad not showing up will be part of the repercussions of the events that happened this session. Let's just say that not everyone is so forgiving when it comes to blasphemy.

*** Session 12 - Cast of Characters ***

 M'Balz Al-Badassi: A human rogue from the city. M'Balz is the member of a noble family with political connections, but is bored with his wealthy lifestyle and instead performs as a masked scoundrel for hire know as Al-Caliph.

 Gra'bir Boubi: A human warrior from the desert tribe of the Wah'na Poq-yah tribe of the Haunted Lands. A superb hunter, Gra'bir has come to the city of Huzaz to look for a quest to prove himself a great warrior.

 Adanband: An elf scholar and sorcerer from the city of Huzaz.

*** Session 12 - Scene 1 (of 10) ***

The group sails out of Wasat on a sambuk merchant ship called The Rising Tide. The captain of the ship is a dwarf named Qaim, who has 20 sailors and laborers aboard. The group is housed down in a barracks room with another 40 passengers making their way to Hiyal.

The trip is said to be over 250 miles and take a couple of weeks, depending on how favorable the winds are. Gra'bir keeps a look out at the sea and any land when they are near it; he is concerned about getting lost at sea again. Butrus spends his time being extremely sea-sick.

M'Balz makes a point to circulate among the other passengers and crew. One of the people he talks with, coming from Wasat, tells him about Prince Tannous having secret meetings with Caliph Haroun. M'Balz thinks about the other rumors he heard in Wasat about the Grand Caliph's uncle's activities.

The ship makes good time the first day, picking up to a strong gale that moves the ship to the northeast. By mid-day, the winds shift to the southwest, slowing travel. At the end of the day, the winds ships back to the northwest and the captain decides to continue to sail at night; with the high winds, anchoring would be impossible anyway.

Later that night, the group is awoken when a mighty crash rings out and the ship shakes. M'Balz can hear men yelling up on the ship's deck; in his half-asleep stupor, he calls out a warning about hippos.

Adanband, however, takes more time to hear what the men are saying. He can make out the sailors are yelling about a sea wyrm. When he informs the others, M'Balz tells him to prepare his "windy spells" for battle.

Gra'bir isn't so sure they should charge into battle, but realizes when the hull cracks from the impact of the beast they will surely drown if they don't help defend the ship.

When they reach the deck, they see the huge beast attacking. It looks like a giant sea snake with the head of a dragon. It grabs one of the sailors in its mouth and eats him.

M'Balz takes a position out of reach of the creature. He readies his bow to attack, but the high winds blow the shot wide. Adband's conjured acid arrow fares no better.

Gra'bir tries asking one of the sailors how to appease such a monster to get it to stop attacking. The man's only advice is to kill it. Gra'bir is not enamored with the level of sea lore the man has imparted and moves into striking position with his lance. Using it as a long spear, he stabs into the creature scoring first blood. The wyrm howls in pain then turns its attention to Gra'bir.

Maneuvering around, he stabs into the beast again. M'Balz tries to follow it up with another arrow, but it again misses wildly. Gra'bir yells out that he needs to get his sea legs.

Adanband conjures a flaming sphere that he moves towards the beast. It singes the creature.

In response, the wyrm opens its mouth and covers the deck in a cloud of gas. Gra'bir holds off breathing it, but Adanband falls asleep from its magical effect.

The wyrm swoops in to attack Gra'bir, but he fends it off. He darts back with his lance, but misses.

Jutting to and fro, the monster gets by Gra'birs defenses, biting down on his arm. The pain prevents him from attacking back. M'Balz fires off another pair of shots that miss.

The beast and Gra'bir trade attempts to attack the other, but neither makes progress. M'Balz, however, manages to get a glancing hit with one of his arrows, but it does not seem to slow the creature much.

Suffering another bite to his shoulder, Gra'bir again finds himself stunned with pain. Another arrow finds its way into the beast's hide.

Gra'bir fends off another attack, then strikes back into the beast with his lance. M'Balz follows it up with an arrow into the creature's eye.

Badly wounded, the sea wyrm breaks off the attack, diving back into the water. The sailors rejoice, glad the creature was driven off. One says the beast likely went back to its undersea cave, noting it probably has a lot of treasure.

The mention of treasure intrigues M'Balz, but ultimately he and Gra'bir decide it will be too difficult and dangerous to try and find the underwater cave. After ten minutes or so, Adanband finally wakes up.

*** Session 12 - Scene 2 (of 10) ***

The next day, the winds slow to a strong breeze blowing to the northeast. During the day, the ship gets close enough to land at one point that a pack of fifteen desert giants, mounted on giant lizards, can be seen herding their flock of sheep along the cliffs.

M'Balz continues to talk to people, hearing a story about the sultana of Hiyal taking on Zargar Quarterman as a lover. Little else of interest happens during the day, and the ship drops anchor at night when the winds shift.

The third day out, the winds pick up again and a storm rolls in. All the passengers decide to stay below deck as the ship rocks violently. At one point in the day, M'Balz hears someone say one of the sailors caught a glimpse of the two-headed roc of Roq Island passing by in the clouds.

As night falls, the winds shift south and the ship is propelled backwards. It eventually crashes into a reef. The hull breaks open, flooding the ship.

Everyone goes crazy trying to escape. In the chaos, Gra'bir tries to grab Butrus but he is sucked out into the sea before he can get to him.

Gra'bir, Adanband, and M'Balz manage to force their way up to the ship's deck. Gra'bir immediately begins looking for a lifeboat. He spots several of the sailors attempting to ready a qarib to escape in. Since there is still room on the boat, they decide to help the crew and get on.

With everyone working together, then manage to get the boat into the water but the violent waves making rowing difficult. At one point, M'Balz falls overboard. Gra'bir is able to save him but the rogue notices some of his belongings were lost to the sea – including his quiver of arrows, his blanket, his healer's kit, his small hammer, his set of dark clothing, his small mirror, his pry bar, his flask of lamp oil, and his tinder box.

The qarib manages not to capsize as it makes its way to the nearby shore. It does, however, nearly break in half when it slams into the shore. Gra'bir takes part of it to quickly put together a make-shift shelter as the storms continue.

The storms rage on for the next three days before it blows out. Luckily, the three companions manage to survive with their shelter. The other sailors are less lucky, with one dying of dysentery.

*** Session 12 - Scene 3 (of 10) ***

Once the storms are over, they emerge from their shelter to take stock of their surroundings. They appear to be marooned on a small desert isle, with only a couple of trees with coconuts. Some pieces of the ship float in the surf as flotsam.

M'Balz suggests they gather the wood to prepare for a signal fire to attract a passing ship. Gra'bir agrees, but doesn't want to light the fire until they spot a ship. While they wait, M'Balz and Gra'bir attempt to fish using their javelin and lance, respectively, while Adanband gathers some seaweed for food.

Later that morning, Gra'bir spots a ship off in the distance. Gra'bir lights the signal fire to attract it.

After the smoke begins, the ship begins making its way over to them. As it gets closer, the group can see it is a large ship, a nobleman's baghala. When it gets close enough, they can read the name as "The Magnificent." It appears to have a large crew manning it, about forty men.

When the ship gets close enough, it launches a qarib. A small crew rows it out with a nobleman standing in the middle. He calls out a greeting to everyone on land, giving his name as Suelasta and asking how he can be of service.

M'Balz speaks for the group. He explains they have been shipwrecked and asks for assistance. Suelasta agrees to help, saying he can always use more sailors. The shipwrecked sailors on the island look happy at the prospect of both escaping the island and new employment.

Looking closer at M'Balz and his two companions, Suelasta notes they do not have the look of sailors about them. M'Balz explains they were passengers on the ship, headed for Hiyal. Suelasta notes they are well-armed passengers.

Suelasta also explains they have good fortune, as he is headed for Hiyal as well. He makes them a proposition; explaining he is a monster hunter who likes to trap strange and exotic creatures to bring back to his zoo in Tajar, he offers them passage in exchange for their agreement to help him capture any monsters they come across that he wants to add to his collection.

Gra'bir, a mighty hunter himself, happily agrees. M'Balz wishes Butrus was around so they could sell him as an exotic creature. Out loud, he asks Suelasta the name of his zoo; the man gives the name as "Suelasta's Magnificent Zoo", which M'Balz calls "very original." Gra'bir asks M'Balz about going after the sea wyrm, but M'Balz feels that would be too difficult.

Once they are all aboard, Suelasta shows them the converted cage areas he has made on the ship. He warns them to watch out for one of the cages, as it contains a Sumatran rat-monkey. When Suelasta describes the creature as very dangerous, M'Balz asks what it does. The nobleman explains the creature's bite is said to turn people into ghouls.