Adventure 5: The Elf Queen

Before departing Kali, the group was once again thanked, and Jarumi said she was heading west to the Feypool, and if the heroes needed her they could find her there. Failn Shalandalan was approached by his own parents, who bestowed an intricately woven cloak upon their son. They wished him a safe journey and to give their best to the Divine Mother.

Tahirah

Our intrepid heroes arrived in Tahirah, the heart of the wood elf kingdom, housed in a giant tree. While waiting for clearance to pay their respects to the Divine Mother, Anden went out for rumors from the local hatagoya bars. He heard about rising threats from the Haritacandra, owlbears, and Sirrusha unrest at the borders.

After one day the group was allowed to visit with Shahrzad, the Queen of Tahirah. They were greeted coolly by the elf sovereign, who allowed them access to the royal libraries. She did not listen to Ardeshir's pleas that the border defenses against the Sirrusha and bandits be strengthened. She treated Anden hostilely, as well, citing Majirahans were the cause of much woe for the elves, and that, although half-elven, he was not a wood-elf. Steiger was ignored, and only Failn and Elaria were treated as worthy subjects.

After this brusque encounter with Shahrzad, the group was approached by Omaru, one of the Raji who advised the queen and ran the day-to-day elements of the region. He understood the heroes' journey and showed them to the library. He also said that he suspected someone was after the Divine Mother's life, and asked for their help to uncover possible assassins. His first suspect was a handmaiden named Keima, whom he suspected of being in league with the Haritacandra. He also confirmed the bags of mysterious coins the group found (on the goblins and the Haritacandra) were of Naga origins. The serpentine Naga were driven west into the uncharted lands of Lost Khandar by the Majirahans at the close of the second age.

While in the royal library of Tahirah. the group met Sihamuni, one of the royal archivists. He explained the the tomes they found weeks ago beneath Rhotas Barav were written in Auran, the language of the air-elemental djinn. He gave a brief history of the first ages of the Middle World:

“During the first ages of the Middle Kingdom, the Celestials and other beings lived alongside the children of the Creator: mortals and the djinn, beings of smoke and fire. The djinn were ruled by the great Djinn Lords, elemental beings also created, like the mortals, by the Creator and endowed with Free Will. There were four great Djinn who oversaw the Middle Kingdom in the hopes of maintain a certain balance.

In truth, I think, they wanted to fortify their own power bases, for they were all brimming with honor and greed. There was the Dao, of the Earth, who lived in the East, where Taishan now reigns. The Marid came from the east, north of here from Khandar, ruling the waters. The Djinni of the air took to the south, where the desert winds blow, and the Efreet, the Fire King, hailed from the north, where the Bazahn Wastes and Mount Mu roil.

These Djinn Lords harnessed great power, and were sought after for their abilities and servitude by mortals. There is also the occasional myth that they can grant wishes, create from nothing. Regardless, their power was immense, and mortals craved it. During the wars that closed the second age, the Djinn were trapped within Brass Vessels by Kazim the Abjurer, who sealed away their power and buried them in the earth.

Legends always speak, and fortune tellers always dig, of the Brass Vessels being hidden here or possibly found there, but in the end they prove to be just legends. Regardless, those who seek the power of the Djinn could reshape the Middle World….”

 

Keima

When Anden showed him his mysterious cube, Sihamuni said it did contain an old elvish script, and that the sage--Yash--who dwelled at Tiger Sword Glade to the south would be able to tell Anden more. When Steiger showed him the crone engraved upon his cameo, Sihamuni said he'd look into it for the northman.

The group devised a plan to have Failn, a fellow wood elf, pose as a palace servant to get close to Keima. Under the name Fafu, he worked for a short while before infilitrating Keima's room. Inspection of her diary revealed that she was indeed visiting a Haritacandra cell, which her brother Joren had joined. She believed it was against his will, through the arrival of a stranger, and tried several tries to dissuade him of his new loyalties.

Joren

The group followed Keima out to her next meeting, trying to help her. Their noise drew the Haritacandra forth, however, and a standoff ensued. Joren wanted his sister's safety guaranteed, as well as that of his comrades, from the wrath of Shahrzad, whom they viewed as tyrannical.

Ardeshir attempted to see if Joren and the Haritacandra were indeed under the possession of another force. His magic pitted him against a mental battle with a Naga mind, but Ardeshir warded it off. They sent for Omaru for aid in cleansing the mind-control, and the Raji brought another councilmember, Shay, to cure the bandits. They returned to Tahirah with the promise that the Haritacandra would get a fair trial.

The following day Omaru summoned the heroes again, claiming an earthquake had unsettled a small farming village in the western foothills. This quake had disturbed the grave of an old Raji, Zodan, who had risen as a goryou, a disgruntled spirit. He asked they dispose of Zodan.

The group arrived at the small village of Showamura, which was in a state of ruin. They could see Zodan rampaging through the farmlands, but were also met by another opponent: a human with a naginata spear. He called himself Hyuga the Mountain and sought a duel with the man known as Failn the Whirlwind. It was discovered through his magic spear he had caused the quake, but the goryou of Zodan was unfortunate and unforeseen side-effect.

Yamano Hyuga

While Failn and Hyuga dueled, the Ardenshir, Anden, and Elaria stopped Zodan, whose burning corpse set fire to the main buildings. Steiger nobly set out to rescue villagers trapped amidst the rubble, helped out by the others as soon as they'd taken care of Zodan. They rescued all the villagers, but Failn was knocked unconscious by Hyuga, who claimed that he was not yet worthy of membership with the Five Rings. Although Ardeshir and Steiger went out to stop Hyuga for his actions against Showamura, they let him go free in the end. The group returned to Tahirah, where Omaru praised their efforts.

RECAP:

• The capital of Tahirah is built within a giant tree.
• The Divine Mother/Queen of the elves is Shahrzad. She is seen as a beautiful and strong sorceress.
• Omaru, one of the Council of Raji who help see to the city, entrusted the party with helping ward off threats to Shahrzad's life. His first suspect was a servant named Keima, who was in league with the Haritacandra. It was discovered her brother, and the Haritacandra, were under the control of another group: the Nagas.
•  The Nagas are a snake race that were driven from the west to the area known as Lost Khandar. Once the large deserts around Majirah were verdant and bountiful, but the humans and dwarves pushed out the magical Nagas and claimed the lands as their own at the close of the Second Age. The Nagas seem to be making a retaliatory strike, some 300 years later.
• Sihamuni is the chief librarian of Tahirah. He explained the existence of the Djinn Lords during the first two ages, and that they were sealed away by Kazim the Abjurer at the close of the Second Age. Their power is vast and mortals often try to harness it to reshape the world.
• A goryou is the unsettled body of the deceased, often bent on ill-will and mindless rage. The corpse of a Raji named Zodan was awakened by a quake and became a goryou, tormenting the village of Showamura.
• Hyuga the Mountain is a martial artist from a group called "The Five Rings." He challenged (and beat) Failn in a duel.