Bruno – recognizes members of Selket’s Sting, a cult of scorpion assassins
Durrim –
HB –
Ved Pinion –
Wynasia –
Rohalin –
Strong Start
The Desert Scorpions come for their take.
Scenes
The desert scorpions
“Have you heard the good news! Our lord has risen in the desert! An angel from the beyond!”
Visiting the City of Gardens
Secret and Clues
The free city of Siwal is a wonder to behold. The city is the largest stop along the Mhalmet Road between Per-Bastet and Mhalmet, meaning valuable merchandise passes along it daily, and merchants and caravans making the trip must have enough armed support to run a gauntlet of raiders and bandits.
Siwal is a beautiful city of basalt minarets, granite fountains, and marble monuments. Elemental water magic keeps the many parks and rooftop gardens lush year-round.
A huge water elemental resides beneath the city, providing all of its fountains and gardens. The elemental slumbers and dreams while the city benefits above. Some believe the elemental is a powerful mynad who will one day awake and demand tribute.
Commerce trumps all other considerations in the City of Gardens. As long as the profits continue to roll in, the city’s ruler, Sultan al-Mamun, and his vizier, Akil ibn Khaldun, are inclined to ignore trouble on other fronts, trusting that any distress or deviation will right itself eventually.
The cult of Selket’s Sting runs a protection racket and skim profits from caravans and sandships.
The operation is under the direction of Sadiki Sefu, who has organized a group of more than thirty human and dwarf priest-bandits called the Desert Scorpions.
Their efforts finance the work of Selket’s Sting throughout Nuria and the deserts, and
their carefully brewed poisons are shipped under careful eyes to assassins throughout Nuria Natal. They consider themselves secret rulers of the city’s trade.
The most famous graveyard in Nuria Natal houses the remains of ten thousand dead heroes.
Siwal’s great library-temple of Thoth-Hermes retains copies of works entirely unknown elsewhere; while merchants thrive in Siwal, the scholars and keepers of lore likewise learn a great deal from the steady stream of sandships and caravans from distant lands.
Master Gravebinder Panshal al-Mahrji and his family are the gravebinders of Siwal. The preparation of the body for the afterlife is a sacred calling, and the gravebinders oversee all aspects of it: making shrouds, embalming and grooming corpses, performing mourning ceremonies, and consecrating graves.
The Gravebinders once possessed a book called Anu-Akma’s Book of the Hungering Dead but it has fallen into the hands of Gahib Temurri, the Ghul king of the Necropolis.
Gahib Temuuri plans to use the knowledge in the book to rise an army from the City of the Dead and overtake Siwel. The leaders of the city do not listen to such rumors.
The gravedigger, Golamesh Abu Karim (LE desert troll, Creature Codex, p. 356), and his nephew-apprentice Gulgash Karim (LN desert troll) keep a watch fire lit all night at the Eastern Gate.
Wakkil Al-Ghul (LN male darakhul black knight commander, Tome of Beasts, p. 419), a famed warrior, rose from his grave two centuries ago and considers himself to be the arbiter of law in the necropolis. He has dispatched hundreds of undead and living souls alike, adding them to his army of ghoulkin.
A secret sect of cultists of Heretical Aten reside beneath the temple of Aten feeding off the populous.
1089cp, 6993sp, 1386gp, 54pp (2582gp); Brass mug with jade inlay (250gp), Brass mug with jade inlay (250gp), Gold bird cage with electrum filigree (250gp), Large gold bracelet (250gp) 1000gp; Ring of mind shielding (uncommon ring), Weapon, +1 longsword (uncommon weapon)
A startouched feyish egg of Ptah – First and Reborn Creator-God of Dwarves and Men, Lord of the Eternal, Master of Justice, Sculptor of the Earth, Patron of the Dwarves, Husband to Ninkash and Sekhmet, Shipbuilder of the Gods, Tomb Builder of the God-Kings, and Lord of the Labyrinth (Southlands 245) that casts Life Sense (Lvl 3)
An obsidian shadowy idol of Takhar – Guardian of the Gates, Keeper of the Springs of Life and Death, Warden of the World Tree, Far-Seer, and the Incorruptible (Southlands 248) that casts Reposition (Lvl 4)
A foggy infernal ink pen of Anu-Akma – God of the Underworld, Judge of the Dead and Guardian of Tombs, Guide of the People of Khem, Purifier of Souls, Preserver of the Worthy, King of Jackals, and Patron of the Gnolls and Ghouls (Southlands 232) that casts Shroud of Death (Lvl 4)
