Adventure 13: Majirah, the City of Suns

MAJIRAH, the great desert capital, is a sprawling network of clay and stone buildings, towers with minarets and spires. People in flowing kaftans, turbans, and colored robes walk the lanes that spider through the desert. Its center is the beautiful blue oasis called El-Mir’sari, the Mirage Pool.

 Here the party sought an audience with the SHAH, KHALID, ruler of the desert kingdom. Unfortunately, beauracracy prevented the meeting from being timely, and the adventurers spent downtime in the markets.

While exploring the city, they rescued a woman from a kenku group of thugs. The woman turned out to be a djinn traveler named SUHA. While armed, she remained pacifistic, but thanked the party for their assistance in helping her. She explained that she was being targeted as a djinn for the whereabouts of a map that supposedly held the location of the ruins called the HANGING GARDENS. These ruins reportedly were the gateway to the lost CITADEL OF WINDS, where the wind Djinn lord once resided before being sealed away by KAZIM the Abjurer centuries ago.

Anden, using his street contacts, found a man who had come in possession of such a map from the Black Markets. The party went to find out more about the map from this man, named FIRAZ. Through bargaining and the sale of Failn's gyoubi nuts, Firaz parted with the map.

The party eventually was given access to see Shah Khalid. Upon first being vetted from the royal vizier, ABANAZAR, the group concluded that Abanazar was blocking their progress, but Ardeshir and Maru concluded through skill and spell that he was coerced, probably by Naga influence (like the Haritacandra bandits in Tahirah).

In private audience with the Shah, the party asked for help against the Nagas, and that Abanazar may be compromised. Shah Khalid agreed, being familiar and on guard against the Nagas already. He presumed his vizier to be under their influence and asked the party to investigate. He said if Abanazar was indeed working with the Nagas, the party was tasked with assassinating him. 

RECAP:

• Organized groups in Majirah are called tanzims. One of these is the VIPERS, a group of bandits and thieves looking for the Hanging Gardens.
• Suha is a djinn, a mortal race of fire and smoke humans who used to dwell in the desert before the Naga were exiled. They left when the desert was destroyed and live in a hidden city in the eastern deserts called Ubar.
• Abanazar is the vizier/advisor to Shah Khalid. They are generally respected by the people of Majirah.
• Majirah is home to a thriving Black Market of goods and services. Anden, a street rat, has connections with many of these groups and lowlifes.