FRIDAY, JANUARY 2ND - KINGDOM of KESHANAR 5E - SESSION 0; PART 2
On their way to the Sand Flea Market, the trio pass by a wall that is topped with spikes. On the spikes rest the heads of criminals that have been enchanted to recite their crimes. The group is horrified by the sight, more so when they see a group of pilgrims watching the macabre spectacle in a mixture of disgust and awe. The party overhears one of the heads, an older man missing an eye confessing to his crimes as a grave robber.
The siblings move on, reaching the market they see the familiar mammoth statue of the goddess Sekhmet, Healer and Destroyer. In one hand she holds an ankh and in the other a khopesh. The market beyond is made up a hodgepodge collection of mud brick buildings, tents and vending stalls all surrounding the base of the large mesa upon which rests the statue of Sekhmet. Taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the marketplace they can hear dogs barking somewhere within the sea of merchants. Making their way through the open walkways between they soon find Noble Hounds, Memkhufu, the proprietor standing in front of the tent calling out to passersby, encouraging them to come inside to see his animals. The party goes in and presents their writ from Asrilene to the owner. He looks it over and then looks at them as if seeing them for the first time.
"Official business for the Pharaoh himself, eh?" he says slyly.
Kharu only nods as they begin looking at the hounds in their cages. Memkhufu is very attentive to their needs, and they finally settle on a female Demenese Dune hound who is not yet full grown. He tells them he has been unable to breed her, but she is a surprisingly good tracker. He even throws in a mystical training collar that translate the dogs barks into speech the trio can understand.
"Are you my new masters?" the dog asks excitedly, its tail wagging enthusiastically. "I love you!"
Khephri nods and immediately falls for the dog, petting her head and offering her treats. "Yes we are! Can you please help us find cats?"
"Cats?!? I love cats!" the dog replies. "I always want to play with them, but they usually don't play back."
The three decide to name the dog Zahra and they set off with their new animal companion leading them through the streets, causing much of a stir as the dog nearly knocks other residents down in her frantic search for a cat. As dusk approaches they enter the Garden Cauldera. This area is cooler than the rest of the city, a nice break from the usual heat of the streets. Thousands of different plants, flowers, and trees grow here and are tended meticulously by special attendants. At the center of the Cauldera is the largest tree any of them have ever beheld, The Father Tree.
Zahra leads them to a flower bed near a side wall of the garden where she begins to dig like a dog possessed, heedless of where the dirt she excavates lands. The party is horrified, thinking this will land them in much trouble and they begin looking around to see if anyone is noticing the scene. After several minutes Zahra leaps from the deep hole she has made and drops a dirt covered, bandaged wrapped bundle at their feet. A mummified cat! The three look at one another in exasperation and confusion.
"No, no Zahra," Khephri exclaims bending down to look at what has been unearthed.
As his sister inspects the long dead cat, Kharu notices three hooded figures appearing from the direction they had come into the garden. He motions to Zhafira and points. Looking at what he has motioned to, she looks in the opposite direction looking for a way out and sees three more figures, similarly hooded, approaching from the other side of the garden.
"Kharu," she whispers, pointing, "Khephri! We are not alone."
Kharu, being if a mind to avoid trouble, he steps forward, "Please, we want no trouble. Our dog has made a mess and we will pay to have the garden repaired."
"We are not here the damage you have caused," the lead figure said as he retrieved a wicked looking mace and brandished it. "We are here for you."
The rest of the figures drew their weapons and rushed the siblings.
"Hide!" Khephri ordered the dog, drew her scimitar and moved to meet their attackers.
Zhafira was the first to act, running out to meet the hooded men, she extended her hands and let loose a Thunder Wave. The wave of force rushed out from her in all directions, slamming into the three attackers in front of her, damaging them with its energy and shoving them back. Shocked, the men were staggered by the magic, but pushed forward determined to fulfill their purpose.
Kharu seeing that diplomacy was not going to work, pointed his right hand at the lead man and unleashed an Eldritch Blast, the sickly green energy catching his target in the chest and sending him reeling back, dead before he hit the ground.
Their assailants moved closer now, attacking with daggers, short swords and maces. One landed a heavy blow with a mace to Kharu, sending him down to one knee. Another sliced Zhafira with a deep gash to her left arm. Yet another stabbed at Khephri, but her chainmail shirt warded off the blow. Her opponent was not so lucky as she lashed out with her khopesh and left a bloody wound on his right leg that sent him down and he did not move again.
Zharfira moved back closer to her siblings and saw how badly Kharu had been injured. She used her divine soul magic to heal him, preventing him from collapsing from his wound. Kharu lashed out again with his Eldritch blast dispatching another of the men that his sister had harmed with her Thunder Wave. Their attackers fought viciously, but were overcome by the power of the trio and were quickly dispatched. They checked on one another to make sure that none were badly injured and then checked on the dog. She came out of hiding at their coaxing and nudged the mummified cat toward them.
Bending down, Khephri gently picked up the bundle and noticed arcane runes inscribed on the old wrappings. Obviously magic had been used on this cat to preserve it. This was no ordinary cat! That was when she noticed a jeweled collar peaking through the bandages, a small scroll case dangled out catching her eye. She pulled the case loose and found a brittle, aged parchment inside. Unrolling it to read it her vision clouded as a vision overcame her.
The drop of blood is getting bigger. Set wades into the river, but the portal is not big enough for him to enter. From high above, a large bird circles, its wings radiating with the energy of destruction. A single feather drops down, floating slowly before landing on the surface of the river of souls, slowly spinning until it comes to rest, locked into the direction of the radiant blood drop. It expands more, not quite large enough for Set to enter, but time appears to be a rapidly diminishing resource.
Khephri became aware of her brother and sister holding her arms, shaking her and asking if she was okay. "Another vision," she said, "Set is trying to enter the portal...."
Looking down at the parchment she still held she read the words written in a strong hand.
"My preparations for my passage are nearly complete. my mesektet is loaded, and I trust my successor to uphold our Covenant with the Gods.
But there is the matter of the Phoenix Blood - too powerful to destroy or let fall into the wrong hands. Mere knowledge of it could endanger everything we crossed the desert, fought and died for. Yet, it could spell our salvation one day as well.
Such power is why I have decided to use deceit and good solid stone to keep the forces of evil away from it; yet those with the right intent will be able to find it when Keshanar needs power.
Trust the feather. It too comes from the Phoenix.
Its fire is never quenched,
It burns throughout the night,
It floats upon the water of time,
There, it always points right.
Ra-Memnon
The three could barely believe what they were reading. A message from the first Pharaoh of Keshanar. A missive from over three thousand years ago. He was reaching from the distant past to aid them in their time of need.
The three siblings made their way home, ensuring their mother was safe and discussing what their next steps would be. Kharu said they must sleep on what they had learned and decide what course of action was the most prudent. Khephri argued that they should go immediately, tonight, with the scroll from Ra-Memnon to the Seer and tell them of the second vision. Kharu would not hear it and reminded her that their father had left him in charge and he told her with the curfew in place they had to be careful. If they were caught out in defiance of the Pharaoh's edict it could mean imprisonment. Khephri could see he would not be swayed so she relented and made her way to her room with Zhara in tow. She waited exactly two hours, when the house was quiet, before she snuck out, leaving the dog sleeping at the foot of her bed.
Out into the night she made her way quickly, staying to shadows and avoiding roving patrols of the city watch. She made her way back to the Tower of Arislene and was welcomed inside. She expressed her urgency to Kato who led her directly to the study of the Sphinx.
"I have had another vision,"Khephri told the Seer, "We also found this."
She held out the scroll to to Arislene. She took it and read it. "Tell me of this vision."
Khephri told her of the vision she had. The Sphinx made her repeat it three times to make sure that she explained everything and nothing changed.
"This is concerning," the Seer said. "We must find the Phoenix Blood."
"How do we do that?" Khephri asked.
The Sphinx looked at her with a look that was unreadable. "Stay here."
She left the room and was gone for some time. Khephri began to wonder if the Seer was coming back or not. When she thought she may have to go in search of Kato, or perhaps return home, Arislene came back into the room. She held a small, unadorned box. She sat it on the table and pushed it across to the young woman. Khephri looked at her hostess, and with a nod or reassurance from her, she opened the box and in the velvet interior rested a single, large feather. It was vibrant red in color and it seemed to glow faintly, as if it gave off a light of its own.
"The Phoenix Feather," Arislene confirmed, "Entrusted to me by my predecessor. As it has been since it was given to the first Pharaoh, Ra-Memnon. With it, you can find the Phoenix Blood."
Khephri looked up in awe. This was a relic, an almost holy artifact, one of great importance. "I cannot take this...."
"You must," the Sphinx replied. "The fate of our city, of our people, rely on you finding the Blood."
On her way home, the box with the precious feather tucked inside her armor, Khephri's mind was spinning. She barely recalled making her way home, though she was certain she passed unseen. Once she had safely made her way inside her home, climbing back through her window, she finally felt like she could breath. She slid into bed, waking Zhara, who looked at her, then laid back down to sleep. She lay in bed, her mind racing, the box tucked under her pillow. How would she tell Kharu she had disobeyed him. How would she avoid that pending argument. She did not recall when sleep finally took her, but she slept fitfully, her dreams haunted by the image of Set wading into the river, peering at Kheshanar City, his dark gaze promising a dark future for its inhabitants.
That was our session 0 for Kingdom of Keshanar. We all had a great time with the new setting and the module is well written and easy to run. My players had fun, enjoyed the pacing and we are looking forward to our next session on Friday, 1/16/26. We hope to see you all back here for our next recap, in THE MAZE.
