FRIDAY, FEBUARY 27TH - KINGDOM OF KESHANAR : SESSION 4 RECAP
It has been two weeks since the party returned to the City of Keshanar with their father. Though each attempted to question their father in their own way on why he was in Aswan and what he is seeking, Semat has avoided their questions, either through deflection or through simple avoidance. After multiple attempts the siblings have given up finding out any more information from their father and have settled back into their everyday lives.
As they are wrapping up dinner one evening, their father retiring to his study and their mother to her embroidery, Kharu receives a mystical message from Arislene, the Pharaoh's Seer, requesting that he and his sisters come to her tower as soon as they can arrive as she has need of them. Having never received a message via the Sending spell before, Kharu responds aloud.
"Yes, of course. I will gather my sisters and come right away."
His two siblings look at him in confusion, his words making no sense to them. After explaining he had heard the Seer's voice and not understanding why they had not, the three decide that they should heed her call and leave their home to travel to her tower. The trip is short and uneventful and soon they stand in the presence of the Sphinx.
"How is your father?" she asks.
"He is well," Kharu responds.
"He will not speak to us of his true dealings in Aswan," Khephri says. "We have asked, but he refuses to tell us what he was seeking or why the Cult of Set took him."
The Seer looks at each of them in turn. "Perhaps he is unable to speak of it. He could be on a mission for the Pharaoh or it could be that his capture was a result of your involvement with keeping the tokens of the Phoenix from Set. He is not forgiving, nor will he forget that it was you that thwarted him."
Those words left each of the siblings considering the far reaching implications of what they had done. Each had thought of it at some point, but it was easier not to think that they had drawn the attention of an evil god, let alone his ire. The thought made each of them uneasy and summoned to mind for each scenarios they would rather not contemplate. Kharu suppressed a nervous chuckle as he turned his attention back to the Seer.
"The Pharaoh has need of you again my young friends, need of your special and unique talents," she said as she lay down on the furs and pillows in the conversation pit in the center of her study. She gestured for them to join her and each took a set near to the Sphinx.
"We will help of course," Kharu said, speaking before either of his sisters had a chance to do so.
Khephri looked at her brother, a bit of annoyance crossing her face that he had spoken for all of them without hearing more of exactly what it was that they were agreeing to. Of course duty would bind her to do what she could to help see that the Pharaoh's will was done, but she wanted to enter into such things knowing what awaited her.
"Yes," she said after a second's hesitation, "what is it that the Pharaoh requires?"
A faint smile played across the Sphinx's at the paladin's response. Careful, but loyal. They would do indeed.
"He seeks a lost weapon, a dagger," she said, "one that he would see in our care and out of the hands of our enemies. I have an agent that has been seeking information as to its whereabouts and he has contacted me to let me know he may have discovered it's location."
"And you need us to retrieve it," Zafira said, seeing where this was leading.
"Yes," Arislene replied, "I would ask that you meet my agent, gather the information and then move to secure the item."
"Tell us of this agent," Kharu said leaning forward.
"He is a Sha'Kheti, what most call a jackal man," the Seer replied, "You must go to Troll Town to meet him, at a place called the Rock and Troll Cafe."
Troll Town? The Troll Cauldera? Kharu thought. That was a rougher area of the city. Many of his peers went there to avoid the eyes of their parents and to seek fun. Most Keshites avoided the place and those that lived there were suspicious of outsiders.
Seeing his concern the Seer smiled. "It is not as bad as all that. Keep your wits about you, go to the Cafe, I will send word to him that you will meet him and he will seek you out there."
The siblings agreed and taking their leave of the Seer, made their way to the Troll Cauldera. The three had been there before, once, on a dare from one of their friends, seeking excitement and a change of scenery. They had gotten both, and sworn an oath never to tell their parents of the visit.
They found the Rock and Troll Cafe easily enough. They could hear it before they saw it, and it sounded as if a full scale battle was going on inside. Stepping through the doors they found that part of the first floor was in fact a pit, a fighting pit, and at that moment there was a brawl between a Sobekerin, one of the crocodile folk, and a bald human. As they made their way up to the second level which featured seating around a railing that allowed onlookers a view of the fights going on in the pit below. A tall, muscular half-orc female named Zora took their orders for drinks and food.
At a table nearby, Kharu spotted Ordoog, the son of the Coordinator of the Gardens, a neighbor from their Cauldera. Kharu went over to say hello and the shock at seeing the straight laced Tiefling in such an establishment was evident on the face of the young human. The two exchanged pleasantries and Kharu asked how the fights were. Ordoog replied that they had been eventful so far, but the real money was to be made on the main bout, a crowd favorite, a two headed Troll was to fight a dwarf. Kharu asked how one would place a bet and his friend pointed to a nearby booth where three women were taking coin from patrons and giving them markers in exchange. Making his way over he asked for the odds on the Troll - Dwarf fight and was told the odds were four to one against the Dwarf. He placed a bet on the Dwarf, favoring the underdog, and went back to the table to join his sisters.
The three enjoyed their drinks and watched the bout between the Troll and Dwarf. The fight went back and forth, but in the end the Dwarf gained the upper hand and used a battleaxe to chop the heads off the Troll and then used a flask of oil to sit the still twitching monster ablaze. The crowd went silent as the Dwarf stood watching the fire he had started. Kharu collected his winnings and the three had another round of drinks. The night passed, and yet there was no sign of their contact. Soon the bar was closing and the patrons made their way out into the night. The party waited, being one of the last ones to leave. On their way out they saw the half-orc woman, Zora, outside passing out bread and soup to street children, dirty faced urchins who gratefully took the offered food. Once that was distributed, she led them inside where she went about setting up places for the children to sleep on the floor of the Cafe.
Touched by the charity she saw, Khephri offered Zora five gold pieces to spend on the care of the children. The half-orc thanked her for her charity and closed the door of the Cafe.
As the three made their way home, the paladin saw something in the shadow, the flash of an animal’s eyes in the moonlight staring back at her. Alerting her siblings they decided it best to move into an open, public area to confront whoever it was that followed. They were close to the open area surrounding the Maw. It was well lit at night, there were members of the Mafdet Centaurian Guard patrolled in case they got in trouble, and it was not far from home so they felt relatively safe. They waited and when no one materialized, Kharu stepped out closer to the shadows.
"We know you are there," he said. "Come out if you have business with us."
Part of the shadows seemed to pull itself away from the rest and stepped out closer to, but not fully into the light. A long, dark robe covered the body of a humanoid shape, one that was hunched over, but as it moved to stand nearer the three, it straightened up and pushed back its hood, revealing the jackal headed visage of a Sha'Kheti.
"You are the three that she sent to meet me," the creature said. "I am Thotmuse."
"We had been told you would meet us at the Cafe," Khephri said accusingly.
"I had to be sure that you had not been followed," Thotmuse replied. "There are those that would see that which is sought is never found."
"We understand," Kharu said, ignoring the look the paladin shot him. "What information do you have?"
"My source says that which you seek is within this city," he replied looking around casually to make sure that no one was within ear shot. "Under it actually. It is said to be interred in the Vaults of Duat with the dead."
The siblings looked at one another. The Vaults? The resting place of the dead buried beneath the city.
"Where in the Vaults?" Zafira asked. "There are many tunnels down there. Miles of them."
"It is said that it was hidden in the southern warrens, buried with the poorer citizens," the jackal man said. "Where exactly I do not know, but it is a start. Perhaps you will find clues to its resting place when you have entered the Vaults."
Kharu nodded. "The Vault it is then. Thank you for this information."
"Thanks are not needed young one, I was well paid," Thotmuse said as he stepped back into the shadows of the alley, pulling his hood back up. "Farewell."
The three did not move to stop him. When he was gone they turned toward home. It was late and the sun would be up in a handful of hours. They would need rest and a plan before starting their hunt. They found their home dark save for a couple of flickering lamps, left for them by their mother. They each turned in agreeing to discuss what to do in the morning over breakfast.
They slept in the next day, arising a couple of hours after the sun rose. Kharu was up first, dressing, then moving to each sister's rooms to knock on their door to awaken them. He was greeted with a pillow thrown at him when he stuck his head into Zafira's room, but did not have to dodge improvised weapons from his more volatile sister Khephri. They met downstairs on the veranda where their mother had their breakfast set for them.
"Your father is gone," she said to them as they sat down. "He left for the Palace on business, but will be home in time for dinner tonight."
"We are sorry we missed him," Kharu said.
"You three were out late last night," she replied. "I hope you enjoyed yourselves. What are your plans today?"
"We have errands to run," Kharu replied. "We will be home in time for dinner."
"Good," their mother replied. "The cook is preparing Khephri's favorite. Pheasant."
This brought a smile to the paladin's face. "Do not worry Mother, we will be home by dinner. There is no way I am missing out on pheasant."
"Please be safe," she said as stood up. "I have my social circle today. The women of the Cauldera committee will be joining me in the garden for their seasonal meeting."
"We are always safe Mother," Kharu replied. "There is no need for concern."
She gave each of them a meaningful look that said she knew more than she let on. "I worry, so be safe."
She left them and the three set about planning. They would go to the Vaults of Daru, they would take the tour offered by the city to get inside and secure a map given to the pilgrims and those that visited the Vaults. They would find the southernmost portion of the tunnels and set out on their own to see what clues they may find. What could go wrong?
That is where we will leave you for now gentle readers. Check back with us in a couple of days when we put up the final part of the recap of session four. Thanks for reading and as always we look forward to seeing you back here, in The Maze.
