Sands of Vishdar: An Arabian Nights D&D 5e Adventure

Well, the bruises and injuries would heal although at this point, Feli drop the act of trying to be tough a little short of breath and giving a weak smile as the half-elf tried to approach clumsily faceplant into the sand with a sigh.

"Nope...that's what it looked like. Just hope she's okay...we did our best to try and protect her, right...?"

Safie let the tip of her greatsword fall to the sand, looking out at the lack of other enemies. There was, though, the matter of whatever had just happened to Ifrit. She swung her sword onto her shoulder, jogging over. "Do you need healing? Or... something... else?" She wasn't exactly an expert on things like curses or possession, or any of the myriad other weird things that could result from contact with elder gods or their agents. She wasn't a priest, or even a knight of one of the holy orders. That was more their wheelhouse.

David stared at the Obelisk breaking and sighed, that was... pretty typical for mystic artifacts honestly.

“Im me! Or at least I think so! He didnt say I wasnt me. He seem happy with us. The voice said so.”, a blush crept across Ifrit checks as she spoke. She barely know what to make of it herself. Ifrit sighed as she looked at her friends. Again the thought came to her, would they remain her friend after that. She then looked down and saw a small dragon in her arms.

”Hello small one?”

In Ifrit's hands, some of the black mist and energy began to coalesce into a small, draconic creature about the size of a cat. Its body was deep purplish-black, stars and nebulas dancing over its inky form. Its wings, claws and head were plated with golden armor, its head looking almost like that of an ancient sarcophagus.

The creature trilled, looking up at Ifrit with its deep eyes that glowed with power.

It then chirped, crawling up Ifrit's arm and curling up around her shoulders like a cat. It unfurled its wings, which shimmered with cosmic light, before chirping again quietly.

Barik, for one, looked perturbed, but cleared his throat.

"What is... I take it that this is a gift from your... king?" Barik asked. "Well, whatever it is... it is clear now that we are in no condition to go and take on the cult at the Red Pillar. The pillar is less than a day's travel away, but we should be at peak condition. I suggest we set up camp, rest, and take on this threat when we are more prepared," he suggested.

"Yes, maybe we should back away a little from the remains of the weird darkness god idol and get some rest. That said, your new miniature space dragon is weird and probably a bad omen but honestly I kinda like it?"

Orphie smiles and shrugs.

Safie regarded the weird new dragon thing with a suspicious glance, but it seemed... not immediately hostile? She was 90% sure it was spying on them for this black god, but she also suspected taking a sword to it would be a bad idea. She sheathed her sword, nodding to Barik. "As much as I would like to arrive sooner rather than later... that would be a poor decision in our current state."

Ifrit sighed as she looked at her friends. She let the little dragon make a home on her shoulders. She start to form words but they refused to come. She was once again the odd one but she couldn’t hide away in her father’s shop anymore. She was now what? She owed something to a very old god. But could she force others to deal with her. Ifrit’s left hand drift towards the dragon head. As Ifrit’s hand touched the dragon snout, she got the feeling she could trust it.

”I... I. I’m sure.. you guy can trust him..”, she weakly whispered.

Ifrit eye slide towards Safie and her sword. She was torn give up a part of herself or her new friends. She settled into a quiet stew.

”His name Najima.. He was made form a bit of me..”, she quietly add.

"Maybe...just a little bit~ I mean, I wanna get there as soon as we can but after all this... I think all of us might need a few more minutes." Feli admitted to Safie as the half-elf bounced back to their feet. ...Still a little unsteady.

Upon being introduced, Najima chirped and cooed, brushing its snout affectionately against Ifrit's hand.

Barik made his way towards the camels, putting away his weaponry and moving to get the camp equipment off of the camels' backs.

"Well, whatever it is, it doesn't seem dangerous to us, for now. Still, keep your guard up. Gods know what else lies in this desert. Get some rest. We should be in peak physical condition for our infiltration of the Red Pillar," Barik suggested.

Soon, he had set up camp in an open but somewhat rocky area nearby where the combat had occurred.

"I will take the first watch, then Ifrit, Feli and Orphie can pick up next," Barik suggested. "Any objections?"

Regardless if they had any objections, he had set up sleeping arrangements for the group, and before long, the travelling adventurers were recovering from today's ordeal and resting for the evening.

The night was relatively uneventful, and the travellers managed to get a satisfying evening's rest.

The sun was beginning to rise, but little beknownst to the group from Vishdar, something was stirring the proverbial powder keg at the Red Pillar some distance away. All around the spire, there were ramshackle hovels and huts set up for those of ill respute, who would do their sordid business around the pillar proper. The streets of smugglers, bandits and thugs were in an uproar, as one of the Smoke Cultists' recent acquisitions had made its true strengths known. Indeed, one of the cultists started running down the streets after a large figure making its escape:

"One of the prisoners has escaped! Stop her!" he shouted, his scimitar drawn as he pursued the escapee.

The events of this were far too distant from the slumbering adventurers for them to take notice, unless they were actively looking, though some of the adventurers were starting to stir after their long rest...

OOC: With that, the player characters take a long rest, and everyone is now 3rd level! JohnTheSavage, feel free to bring Karrima into the RP now.

"I-I'm fine with that~"

Keep an eye open for anything moving, an ear open for any real noise. Not wanting to deal with the stabby spear bugs meant Feli was going to do their best to stay alert when it was their time to stand guard.

They weren't paranoid, it was just...best to make sure they didn't get taken by surprise by whatever else might be out there. Even when they dozed off when their turn was up, it was a pretty light sleep.

Orphie nodded and tried to patch himself up as best he could while trancing out until his shift for watch came up. When it did he turned his attention to the stars above and softly plucked the strings of his lyre, watching the constellations wheel overhead.

"#I set my sail, fly the wind it will take me; back to my home, sweet home...#"

He lets out a little sigh and shoots a brave smile at a particular cluster of stars before turning his attention to the dunes.

Safie, after a, thankfully, rather unremarkable night, woke up feeling rather refreshed, all things considered. Refreshed, and resolute in her cause. She didn't sleep overly well, given the rather uncomfortable conditions and the fact that out here in the desert danger could, in fact, come at any time, but it was well enough, and it wasn't the first time she'd missed a proper bed. She'd been doing that since she'd joined the palace guard. Still, she was, once again, early to rise, and once again, engaged in her morning routine of training drills. Today, however, an eye was kept on Ifrit, both out of a lingering distrust for the starry dragon and a concern for her safety.

"Clear the way! Move it!" Bellowed the big green battering ram draped in now-ragged noble grab as she sprinted through (emphasis on through) the twisting streets of the Red Pillar. As much as she wanted to turn around and face her pursuers head-on, the fleet satisfaction of a beaten foe wasn't worth getting captured over. Again. So Karrima ran and didn't plan on stopping until she either saw the open desert or the cultists giving up the chase.

Edited by JohnTheSavage on Dec 12th 2020 at 3:21:52 AM

Ifrit awoke bit early, but not as early as Orphie. She had a lot to work. But first Ifrit took of care the easiest of her problems. She feed the tiny dragon.

" Ok little guy.. Girl? Najima. Today we working on getting the other to trust us.. First step food. Then talking? Any idea?"

Ifrit then made to start prepping a quick meal and maybe some tea for the other.

Karrima's berserker rush bowled through a number of the thugs trying to stop her. Try as they might they were no match for her forceful charge.

Soon, the people in the streets of the Red Pillar had begun to actively avoid the half-orc's charge. As the cultists gave chase, it soon became clear that they were unable to keep up with her.

The cultist stopped, looking out towards the dunes that the escapee was running towards.

"The boss isn't going to like this," he murmured. Karrima had escaped from the Red Pillar and was making her way into the open desert. In the distance Karrima could see a campfire gently glowing and lighting up the sand, accompanied by the scent of food cooking in the distance.

Sitting nearby that campfire, Najima chirped, sniffing at the food that Ifrit was preparing, and gently pawing at it, swishing its tail.

Barik had gotten up early along with Safie, wanting to keep an eye out on the dunes, but he found his eyes traveling repeatedly to the star-dragon that was now cutely focusing its attention on Ifrit's meal in progress.

"Are you sure this creature can be trusted? Its... master tried to kill us earlier," Barik stated. "And the master of that shadowy woman is the same being that gives you your powers, Ifrit?"

In hindsight, maybe rushing out into the open desert alone and with little in the way of supplies wasn't the best idea. Between returning to the Red Pillar and risking this unknown campfire, Karrima chose campfire. She began to approach slowly and openly as to not startle- hang on, is that Safie!? Barik? Karrima took off into a run at the sight of familiar faces, calling out and hollering to get their attention.

Feli was still a little sleepy and rubbing their eyes as they lazily looked around again after waking up, a little unsure on how to comment on the tiny pet dragon, yesterday's events and...something...someone approaching the group?

"...There wasn't an orc-gal with Cyrus and the rest of their group, was there...?"

Safie's training was interrupted by someone apparently shouting to get her attention. Who in the Gods' name out here would know her name? And why was that voice familiar. At Feli's suggestion, comment, she frowned and looked in the direction of the voice, and -

Oh, by the gods, one of the last people she wanted to see right now. Maybe that wasn't entirely true - there were a lot of people she could think of that she wanted to see less than the Princess' half-sister, but she was certainly low on the list. Not because she didn't like her, unlike most of the court that Safie herself wasn't technically a part of she found her straightforwardness refreshing, if not necessarily her conduct whilst drunk. She let the tip of her greatsword fall to the ground, looking at the approaching woman in surprise. "Karrima? What... what are you doing out here?"

"Oh they're a friend? Good good, I was going to Sleep them if they weren't, just to be safe."

The drow gives a soft laugh and gets up from where he was just casually lounging and playing his lyre.

"Hello! I'm Orpheus, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Oh, Safie, it's been far too long! You certainly are a sight for sore eyes today!" Karrima said with a great big grin. Karrima had always quite liked the guard on principle; she was one of Kassima's protectors and took that duty seriously. Plus, Karrima had heard bits and pieces about Safie's life before she was a guard and Karrima liked what she heard. A scrapper and a troublemaker! A woman after Karrima's own heart!

"I'm out here for the same reason as you all, I'd think! Kassima is out there somewhere in need of rescue! As soon as I heard that someone had found a lead I was out the palace and on my way! Karrima's expression turns sheepish as she motions towards the Red Pillar. "Mistakes were made. I got captured. Just escaped now. Karrima cast an eye over the group. "If you're all going after Kassima, I'm coming with you. Those cultists kidnapped my sister. I owe them a whole lot of payback for that."

Ifrit jumped as the half-orc girl ran into camp. Said girl seem to know Safie and the princess? Well this sure was a turn of event that told wasnt the cause of burning her breakfast. Ifrit sighed as she looked down at the burn remain. Her dad told her to not cry, instead try something else. So that what she did. She switch to making tea o coffee. By the gods she sure did dislike morning.

Barik blinked and furrowed his brow upon hearing a voice that he vaguely recognized.

"Karrima? Is... that you? What in blazes are you doing out here? You got captured? You thought you could take on these brutes by yourself? What were you thinking?" he asked, crossing his arms and grunting.

He sighed, glancing to the others.

"Well. We'll definitely need all the help we can get out here. We're going to need to take care, because if you just escaped, they're going to be on high alert. I'm glad you're all rested up. There's almost certainly going to be a fight on our hands once we reach the Red Pillar," Barik explained. He turned towards the barbarian. "Karrima. Do you know where they're holding Her Highness?"

"I was thinking that my sister needed saving, Barik." Karrima crossed her arms. "Forgive me if I didn't wait for every up-jumped, gold-digging sellsword in Vishdar to take a shot at "winning" Kassima first!" Karrima spat with disgust and frustration. "No offense." She added to the rest of the party as an afterthought.

"I didn't see Kassima on my way in or out, which could be good or bad? If she is in there that probably means she's still in there, right?" The half-orc shrugged. " I can lead you to the hideout where they were holding me and we can see where that gets us. We should probably hurry too, I think secrecy was most of their security so they'll be wanting to move and fade away now that I've escaped to tell the tale."

Karrima looked ready to turn on her heel and start marching straight back at the Red Pillar but seemed to think better of it for a moment and turned back to the party, specifically the ones who weren't Barik and Safie. "Right, didn't introduce myself, always forgetting that." Most people she met either already knew who she was or she was happy to stay anonymous with. "Karrima Amari, at your service. Shame of the Sultan, sister to Princess Kassima, ward of the royal household." The half-orc offers them a very short bow. "A pleasure."

"... Something tells me we won't be able to just walk in now. Karrima isn't exactly subtle." She then glances over to where her armor is. "Then again, nor am I, but I can put the armor away." She sheathed her sword, sighing and taking a seat on a nearby rock. "I don't think we're talking our way in, unless someone has a brilliant idea."