Sakargo and Maralet both were naturally rather disappointed to learn of the truth, that the Great Scarab was nothing more than a mere golem assisted with illusions to fool those who are seeking aid, and that the promised cure for the curse was only a temporary solution with severe drawbacks.

Receiving a third of the treasure found within the caves was a consolation price at least, though only a minor one. Maralet will not be able to buy safety from the Feast of Dust and the ravages it might inflict on her tribe, while Sakargo won't receive the divine aid against the savage gnolls of Shadun as she had hoped for; but maybe she could hire some skilled mercenaries instead. Both express their displeasure quite clearly and want to be assured that the person responsible had paid in kind for his crimes and the vile deception, or that he will going to do so very soon.

The leader of the desert giant tribe will ask Rictor during the nightly conversation if he and his companions cannot be persuaded to support them in this endeavor? Maybe after the source of the curse has been taken care of and the Meraz Desert is once again a safer place?

Maralet will offer the assistance of her tribe of Suli if the party requires it to put an end to the Jackal Prince, but judging by the vast gap in power it might make more sense to 'only' have Musa join the group for now, avoiding any unnecessary deaths among the less-skilled tribe members. On one hand Marelt will be sad to see Musa go for the moment, seeing how great an asset he always has been to the tribe, but on the other she can rest more easily knowing that he will devote all of his wisdom and heart to foil the daemon's plans.

In the end, both tribes will leave Blood Rise Rock come next morning to return to their homes, disgruntled and upset, but there will be no further violence between them.

---

There are no other threats in the vicinity, Rictor. It should be safe for everyone to spend the night there.

Unfortunately, Ibhris will not have any personal possessions of Dehlvat to help Musa with his spell.

OOC: assuming it won't take up too much time, Zhira would likely inquire with Sakargo about what's going wrong with these gnolls exactly and what sort of help she's looking for; obviously, Zhira won't be able to provide any until she's solved the problem of the Feast of Dust, but I feel like it'd make sense for somebody like her to line up her next adventure in the middle of the current one. Thus, depending on what she's told the source of the conflict to be, she might well offer to come back and help with it at a later point - assuming she survives facing the Jackal Prince, of course, but Zhira is arrogant enough to believe she will. :)

 Staying at Blood Rise Rock for the night seemed like the best course of action for the time being. Returning to Dimayen should wait until the morning. However sleeping on a questionable mat on the ground of an evil cave was not part of Qvan's plan. Not that he could not do it anymore, if any younger one were to question that part, but we wouldn't do it if it could be avoided.

 He took a moment to prepare the appropriate spell, and then outside drew a rectangle on the face of the bare rock. This instantly turned into a gate, just like he had done the very morning in the outskirts of Dimayen. Those who were there recognised the Magnificent Mansion – it was an exact replica of the first one.

 He talked to the desert tribe leaders:
  "You are all welcome to share supper with us in my abode. I shall name any of your tribe a guest here. The hall will remain open for three days, and can provide magical food and sustenance which will keep the plague at bay in those infected. Use it wisely, and as much as you can. I'm afraid it won't cure anyone, but it can at least buy them some time."

 "The upper floor is off bounds for tonight, but when we depart you and your guests will be able to access the whole mansion."

 The upper floor was a series of rooms which the adventurers who had traveled with the old wizard before would know well. He retired to his study with the Shroud, and invited the others for a last cup of min tea before turning in. The Tortoise was kept in his own nondescript room.

---

prepare and cast Extended Mage's Magnificent Mansion, lasts 72h and provides food for 200 guests all the while.

OOC: Sakargo will tell you the following details, Zhira:

Her clan has tried for generations to claim the ruins of Shadun from the Sat’un gnolls, but never with success, their numbers are just too great and they are too well entrenched in the ruins of the former city.

The Sat’un are a vicious clan. According to legend, these gnolls descended from the Shadun survivors who turned to cannibalism and human sacrifice in the wake of the eruption that destroyed the city; as punishment, these survivors were cursed with monstrous forms. Whether this is true or not, the tribe considers Shadun its exclusive territory, and battles mercilessly with neighboring janni, giants, and suli clans to keep it.

Remember that, according to Sayid, the Handflower of Genocide (another Oblivion Key) should still be found in the ruins of ancient Shadun.

OOC: That's certainly interesting; Zhira would be sure to mention it to the others to get their own opinion. Also, while I'm not sure if a "catch 'em all" approach would be wise in our current circumstance, having a "second opinion" of sort about how to seal the Jackal Prince from whatever entity hides in the Handflower to compare with what we got from the Shroud would leave us less liable to be misled by either, so that's at least something worth considering.

Zhira won't tell Sakargo anything about this or what she knows about the Handflower yet, but she would promise that she'll see if she can help at some point eventually, since even if the group decides that pursuing the Handflower isn't worth it and we end up defeating the Prince without needing to recover it, making sure that it is properly guarded and not left to use for any evil tribe that stumbles upon it would be beneficial to Qadira regardless, and thus Zhira would make sure to see to it eventually.

Aryk nodded at Rictor as he spoke about his communing with the shroud.

"Speaking with it is a necessary evil, but we should of course do so with care.  Such things have a way about them; the ability to twist words and desires, to convince one to do their bidding & making one believe it was their own idea.  Just be cautious old friend."

---

After that, he took his time moving among the two factions, pledging himself to the Sakargo, along with Zhira.  While he generally attempted to avoid generalizing groups, he deeply disliked gnolls; and a chance to both help some in need and strike a blow to gnolls was a double win.  Assuming, that was, that there were any left after they sought out the Oblivion Key located there.

In addition, Qvan's pocket-dimension mansion was appreciated, as it would give him a place to meditate and replenish his mental fortitude.

With barely 12 hours having passed since your departure for Blood Rise Rock, the situation in Dimayen hadn't really changed all that much. The Whitewater Family was still holed up within their compound and tried to ignore the problems of the outside world, people were tending to stay indoors as much as possible as well to minimize the risk of being yet another victim of the Feast of Dust, and there were still afflicted among the citizens who sought shelter at the Shrine of Overflowing Joys. But at least the amount of jackals seemed to have decreased somewhat, with the town guard and the mercenaries killing them or driving them off whenever possible. There was even the corpse of a daemonic shagal lying outside of the Third Circle, half-buried and burnt to a crisp.

Sayid was to be found within his Fabled and Forgotten Bookstore, still cleaning up the mess and destruction left behind by the ransacking fiends and your fight with them. He was feeling better after having had a night's rest and some restorative magic to cleanse the body of all the poisons inflicted to him during his time in the Pit of Punishment.

The day was still young when the company of curse breakers set foot in the perched town again. Qvan had enjoyed a decent night sleep in his favourite bed, and woke up with a sense of pride over what the companions had achieved in just a day.

He pushed the door to the bookshop and found Sayid busy sprucing the place up. They had been rather unkind with the furniture when they battled the demons, but he was not in an apologetic mood about it. He offered some magical and financial support to repair the damage though, but that could wait.
  “My old friend, I come with bad news. Let’s sit for a moment. As you feared, the seals have been broken, and the Jackal Prince off Famine is walking our land again. It gets worse though...”

He paused for a moment. He realised what he was about to say would be unpleasant at best for the old bookkeeper. It wasn’t however much worse than a demonic prince on the loose. In fact it was an insignificant speckle of dust in the grand design. However to a father this would possibly be the worst part of it.

He pushed forward the big Tortoise, who was unable to speak again as his spell had worn off.
  “If this one is telling the truth, your son Delvat broke the seals. The spirit of the prince of Famine inhabits him now. I don’t know if he is still alive somewhere in spirit or flesh. Or if he can survive the destruction of banishment of the demon... I’m sorry.”

“Oh I should have clarified, this is Ibhris, the wretched con man who convinced your son to steal the blade. He claims not to be involved in any of the rest, apart from taking advantage of gullible and superstitious desert dwellers. I promised him his life, so I will ask that you do not kill him, but I would leave him in your custody until such time when it is safe for me to release him from this polymorphy.”

He stopped at that, figuring it was a lot to process already. Others could talk about the Shroud.

Zhira nodded along with Qvan's words, then added, in a tone meant to be reassuring:

"If you have anything here that belongs to your son, our friend here" she gestured to Musa "said he might be able to locate him with, which could give you a chance to see what his condition is personally. Perhaps even offer an indication how we might be able to still save him, especially if you happen to have knowledge that might help in the endeavor."

Musa bowed his head in solemn respect as Qvan gave the old man the bad news. Musa did not know either Sayid or Delvat, but he could understand the grief a father would have at the loss of a son, even a wicked son. Perhaps especially such a son. "May you be comforted in your loss." He said respectfully, before continuing. "As Zhira said, if you could give me some possession of his, I will try and locate him. A picture will work. A possession would be better, and some part of his body, a lock of hair or drop of blood would work best of all."

Saiyd was most pleasantly surprised by the early arrival of his old friend Qvan and his companions, most of whom had been present during his rescue from the Whitewater compound. With a slightly exhausted but bright smile, he invited everyone inside and offered to join him in some tea of the local flavor.

After people had been seated and Sayid had poured a cup of tea for each member of the party as well as himself, he finally sat down and cleaned his hands with a colorful cloth. The store owner took a sip from his cup, nodded appreciatively at the fruity taste and only then did he gesture for his old colleague to continue with his tale.

At the news that the seals had been broken on the artifact, he grimaced but nodded slowly, already having expected such an outcome. Stroking his mustache in thought, he gave the ordinary-looking tortoise a curious glance, but did not interrupt Qvan, only sparing the animal a quick glance before focusing his attention back on the wizard.

After Qvan had finished speaking for the moment, bringing the tragic news to Saiyd that his only son might not exist any longer, the father's face went ashen and he continued to stare at, or better through, Qvan for several long seconds. With tears welling in his dark eyes, Saiyd simply whispered, "Foolish boy...had you only listened to my warnings," before clearing his throat and coming back to the moment.

"That is..." his voice broke and he had to swallow hard, wiping stray tears from his cheeks. "Thank you for telling me, my friend. I have always appreciated your candor, even if the subject matter is an unpleasant and difficult one." He took a deep breath in an attempt at getting a hold of himself, but the struggle was plain to see on his anguished face.

Sayid's eyes drifted down to Ibhris once more and unquenchable fury blazed for a brief moment in his eyes, but the fire went out almost as quickly as it had appeared. "I'm not someone who will take the life of another, especially of that person is completely helpless, even if he was responsible for my son's death. But don't ask me to shelter him in my home. I don't...no, I can't look upon him," and Sayid forced his gaze away from the tortoise with a grimace of pain and disgust.

He then turned to Zhira and pointed in the direction of Dehlvat's private chamber with a weak, almost uncaring gesture. "There are plenty of his personal belongings still in his room, my lady. Feel free to help yourselves with whatever you deem necessary. But I have no hope that my son is still out there, or can be rescued. Not if the essence of a daemonic harbinger, a demigod of vile power, took over his body..."

His head slowly lowered until the chin rested on his chest and, eyes closed, Sayid began to weep for his son in silence.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:16, Fri 13 Nov 2020.

Zhira nodded sadly at Saiyd's words and answered, tone grim:

"Even so, we shall try all that is feasible to attempt to bring your son back. This, I promise."

Then she glanced at the turtle and said, in a tone that broke no real arguments:

"You heard the man, Ibhris - you'll be coming with us, it seems. You better begin praying for our success and cooperate to achieve it, for I have a feeling that, should we run in something willing to kill us, they'd scarcely hesitate to kill what'd look to them as simply a pet."

Then, with no further words, she headed for Delvat's room, to look for something Musa could use for his scrying.

OOC: Do I need to roll Perception or something to find an applicable item?

OOC: No need, Zhira, there are more than enough personal items within the room for you to retrieve. Musa can assume to have all benefits from items connected to the target of his scrying that are possible.

Musa settled down into a cross-legged stance. "This will do quite nicely. I see no reason why I should not proceed at once." Musa began chanting, and as he does, the sunlight began to refract strangely, like a mirage. It flickers, attempting to resolve into a clear image of Delvat's location.

Unless someone objects, I will cast first discern location, and then greater scrying on Delvat.
Discern location should automatically work unless he has mind blank or something similar, but just gives me his location (place, name, business name, building name, or the like), community, county (or similar political division), country, continent, and the plane of existence.
Greater scrying allows a will save (DC 23) to negate, this counts the bonuses and penalties from having something of his but me only having second-handed knowledge.

Musa concentrated and the image became almost visible. Then it fuzzed and disappeared in a bright flash, having revealed nothing of value. "He has a powerful mind, and the connection is too weak. I do not think that approach will work. Perhaps if we can find some part of his body, and not just a possession. The other was successful though. He is in The Garden of Desolation in The Sunbleached Tower in the Meraz Desert"

Trying to identify where those places are:
17:39, Today: Musa Agasi rolled 38 using 1d20+23.  meraz desert lore.

OOC: Musa will know that the Sunbleached Tower stands 250 miles northeast of Dimayen, and 250 miles southeast of Shadun, deep in the wastes of the Meraz Desert. It is an unmapped corner of the world, the deepest, least hospitable reaches of the Meraz Desert which still drips with the heralds’ corruption. It was part of the four heralds’ original Black Towers and fell into ruin alongside the rest of the building.
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:36, Mon 16 Nov 2020.

Qvan was not entirely surprised that the old bookkeeper would choose not to look after the person who was indirectly responsible for his son ‘s dire fate. He was maybe a bit disappointed, or annoyed, as he had no desire to take the tortoise with him. There were other places available though. He decided he would leave Ibhris with Brother Vahid. He was probably better equipped to deal with the wizard if he should somehow weasel his way to a human shape again.

Upon hearing the news from Musa, the old magician stroked his cleanly shaven cheek with the back of his fingers.
“A wicked piece if there ever was one...” he commenced.
“Not at all surprising though, seeing who the enemy is. The harbingers stood at the tower once before...”


Turning to Zhira and her big brown eyes, he asked:
“Do you think we should see to this gnoll tribe problem before we confront the jackal prince? You spoke to the giants last night, didn’t you? Did it seem like something that would be worth our time?”
This message was last edited by the player at 05:59, Tue 17 Nov 2020.

Zhira frowned, then answered "It really depends on how much we're willing to trust the creature in the Shroud."

She waved her hands in a vague manner, then elaborated:

"The Sat'Un gnolls live in the ruins of Shadun, where the Handflower of Genocide is supposed to be held, and they've recently become far more active, according to the giants; unless we think it's a coincidence, that would suggest they retrieved the relic and it's somehow stirring them to a frenzy. If we can get our hands on it, we can interrogate the creature within and the one int the Shroud separately, and make sure they don't trick us; after all, we only have her word that wrapping the Jackal in the Shroud will seal it away again, rather than allowing the Shroud to gain control of him. However, the gnolls have been holding Shadun against enemy attacks for a very long time, so getting past them all might well be very time-consuming, allowing the Jackal more time to increase his power. It's hard to say what would be the best choice, there's a degree of risk to both."

She shrugged, as to indicate she wasn't sure on what the team should do.

Aryk steepled his fingers as he sat, nodding slightly.

"I agree with those concerns, and raise another.  If the gnolls are aware that the giants came to seek help, they may well be reinforcing their positions and preparing for an assault as we speak.  That said, I also believe that assaulting them & retrieving the relic is the next pertinent step.  We need to get as many, all of them really, of these relics out of the wild.  Each one left out grows the enemy's power, and risks opening a new front in our war against them.  The fact that this one is already exciting evil creatures and causing woe to a settlement is proof of that.  In addition, helping this group of giants way very well have other effects farther down the road."

As Aryk said, leaving these relics around is a dangerous thing. We've seen how easy it is for foolish hands to let these things out, I would not like to see what would happen if two of the harbingers were free to cause destruction. I recommend investigating these gnolls.

The old wizard straightened his moustache and pronounced:
“Then it is settled. We shall visit the Shadun ruins, defat the gnolls, and find the relic. Shall we have an hour in town to wrap up and prepare, and then meet back here for our departure?”

Qvan will need to study their destination, and luckily they were in a bookshop.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:43, Tue 17 Nov 2020.

The ruins of Shadun lie far north, nearly 200 miles beyond Blood Rise Rock. A thousand years ago it was a remote desert citadel founded by the Sentinels of Meraz which eventually grew into a thriving city. For a time after the initial appearance of the four harbingers the people of the Meraz knew peace again. But the influence of the Oblivion Keys still drew misfortune to their wealthy community, resulting in the eruption of the twin volcanoes of Zhonar and Zhobl, burying Shadun beneath the sands and ash.

Some of the tomes found in the Fabled & Forgotten bookstore are truly ancient and were salvaged from the ruins of Shadun by the Sentinels, as they hurriedly rescued what they could when they fled the volcanic eruption. According to these books and what Sayid had mentioned before, the Handflower of Genocide, another Oblivion Key remained in the city.

The twin volcanoes Zhobl and Zhonar are both still sporadically active, occasionally belching plumes of ash and toxic gases that devastate local wildlife, making the entire region around the ruins rather inhospitable.

OOC: would some form of check required to confirm the kind of equipment we need to have to ensure the volcanic nature of the place doesn't cause the team undue harm? Or would the standard Endure Element (I'm assuming everybody has some equipment with that in the same way I do) suffice, and this fact be known to us?

OOC: The environmental effects are more a problem if you stay there for a longer period of time. A quick visit (even if it's a couple of days) should pose no issue except for slight discomfort while breathing.

That morning at Blood Rise Rock, Qvan had used a powerful Druidic spell that was familiar to those who had traveled with him in recent years. He had summoned a convocation of eagles, half a dozen of them, of giant proportions, to ferry the adventurers back to the town. The large creatures were not only swift with their wings, but also keen of eyes for any incoming dangers, sharp of talons when hunting was needed, and soft on the back for a comfortable ride. Each could carry one person without slowing it down, and they covered the distance to Dimayen in just a few hours.

After the visit to the bookshop and Sayid, the old wizard paid a visit to Brother Vahid at the field hospital. Seeing as the spell was about to wear out, but a safe haven and magical food would still be needed, he cast it again, this time an extended version which would last for a day and a half.

He checked on the spread of the curse, and spoke with the long whiskers mercenaries, hoping they had no plans for relocation in the immediate future. He had paid a retainer which would keep them free for a few days and hope they would carry on the good work of culling jackals around the town.

Once this was done, he rejoined with the others, and if they had nothing else to do, recommended they left immediately. He summoned the aerie once again, and the giant desert eagles appeared to carry the band across to the land of the two volcanoes.

---

cast Eagle Aerie in the morning (lasts 19h)
 Cast extended Mage’s Magnificent Mansion (lasts 36h)
I think 200 miles should be ~5h with Eagle Airline, so we s going get there by mid afternoon if nothing happens en route.