The Story So Far

What a tangled web fate weaves. Seeing the Oracle at Techni, four strangers found themselves meeting with a common interest - sail north to Lycia, there opportunity awaits. Taj and Cain Maurkim Merchants with business interests, Benny an elven ranger with contacts everywhere in the north and Ger an Ardhadeva with a propensity for drink and merriment. Seeing their meeting as fortunate, they embarked as ship guards, pirates and monsters abound.

First Steps

Stopping in Arkoz, the group just happened to spy a Khebite expedition carrying some suspiciously mundane cargo. Seeing the chance for shenanigans Ger jumped to distract as Taj and Cain investigated. They found a rather strange artifact, one of the Chalices of Nu. With this unique item requisitioned, it was time to depart - the implications of this theft perhaps best left for another time.

Slaying some sirens on the way the group found themselves in Lycia. Still in the height of the democratic fervor, Cain and Ger suffered for want of any reasonable Ale, but the party did manage to find an interesting contract in the form of Lathus Magnus - a shipping magnate cum mob boss. He had something for everyone, Taj working on the details of several shipping deals while the party found more clandestine work. Doing a few simple jobs of Lathus gained his trust and they were invited to be personal guards for a rather important man during a rather important time.

The Curator

The Curator is a curmudgeon through and through. A stubborn as an ass, as sweet as sea water, and as beautiful as a heap of slag. But his genius was never in contention, nor was his importance as a high ranking Sarmanian defector. As one of the key engineers on Ganzir, he holds a great deal of knowledge about Sarmania and her powers, that along with several stolen artifacts made him a high profile target. This was the right time to liquidate all these unique items, and so through Lathus, an auction was to be held.

High Stakes Auctioneering

Several high power buyers from around the world were invited. From Maurkim House Beu’jiff - a smaller house with the reputation of being all flash and no fire. Potential scam artists and definite posers they came with lots of money, and little scruples. From Na-Keb the Khebite Expeditionary force came to buy, though with little humor or fun. From the Apolitain League Cosmos: Herald of Doxos arrived with a small retinue to represent the interests of the collective. And finally The Cult of Tiamat arrived with wagons of stolen riches.

The normal amount of backstabbing and betrayal occured. With a scroll containing Tiamat’s True Name on the line, the party did whatever they could to prevent the cult from acquiring it without turning the entire event in to a pyre. The Khebites spent all their money on a Chalice of Nu - leaving the moment they won it.

Sarmanian Interference

The party was cut short however, as the cult looked to turn the entire event in to a brawl a Sarmanian Death Squad attacked. There was chaos as three Sarmanian Immortals began to tear through the attendees. The party acted quickly, holding off an immortal as they got a wagon ready to flee with The Curator. They were able to fell the soldier as they retreated. Then they learned why they are called Immortals. Rising from the dead the soldier returned, faster and more ferocious than before. The Sarmanians serve Her Irkallan Majesty in both life and death. A tense chase followed, Ger using every ounce of his speed to ensure everyone got out safely. The party rode away from Lathus’s estate as it burned.

Introduction to the Order

With this display of Sarmanian aggression Cosmos talked to the party, to the Curator, to Lathus about the Order of the New Dawn, a semi-secret international organization of people working to stop Ereishkegal in all her machinations. They found audience with Doxos - the god of Metis where they were offered explicitly to join. The party decided to agree - on a per contract basis. They don’t want to be tied down.

And so the party went south to meet with another Order agent, Baltizar Carical. Taj, excited to also have another in with a powerful merchanting family was on board. Ger seeing another nation worth of alcohol to try was already in, and Benny could see dollar signs if they worked for such a rich patron.

Khebite Interference

There Baltizar tasked them with some investigation, several of his merchants were captured by pirates, they reported a flash of light before, causing their entire ship to become dazed, confused, docile. The party started following up on leads, one woman came back from the incident changed, drawn to the fighting pits, a sudden personality shift. Talking to her, she said she felt empty, nothing hit the same, part of her soul was missing. Suspicious the party talked to an eccentric arcanist Baltizar recommended, his brother-in-law Cadaan Carical.

Hats, Foiled in Tin

Cadaan was happy to help the party - after asking them about Syzygy. He said he knew exactly what was going on. Na-Keb had an elaborate network of obelisks that they claimed helped with ensuring proper crop yields and less dangerous weather, but in actuality are soul siphons, devices used to keep the Khebite population less driven, excited, to make them want less, to be content with what they had. And all this soul energy was siphoned off directly to the Board of Directors - the pantheon in charge of Na-Keb.

Yea, right.

When asked for proof, Cadaan said he had none, but the theory made sense. Suspicious the party and Baltizar needed more. So Cadaan gave them a few measuring instruments and told them to go to Anmenu - the only city in Na-Keb where the maurkim could trade. The party did agree it was suspicious that every merchant who went there seemed to have only hazy recollections of the trip, and more worryingly, never reported any haggling.

Infiltrating Anmenu

Convinced there was something there, the party geared up to infiltrate the city, hiring a guide to help them cross the desert. Faridah and her hawk Kar proved to be perfect. The group made their way through the desert, fighting scorpions, fire snakes and undead. The found an ancient ruin, from before the Titanomancy. Inside, they found that an ancient evil was trapped, an Efritti lord who once ruled the lands south of the sea. Taj deciding this was well enough left alone, refused to translate the unlock instructions until after they at least did their mission.

Begrudgingly Ger and Benny complied and went to the city of Anmenu.

Murrigain Joins the Party

Things were weird. Everyone was just so pleasant. They were always ready and eager to answer any questions, though they often didn’t know the answer. Sure, some things were contradictory, but that really didn’t bother anyone. The party found lodgings in the caravansary where they found a fellow traveler, who, like them, was not in an agreeable stupor. Murrigan, another Ardhadeva was split from his trading caravan, and having wandered through Na-Keb found himself here in Anmenu. With something of a shared love of trade and no mental blocks, he found common cause with the party, at the very least he wanted to see the great center of trade that is Maruk, and return to his homeland with new spices, as well as multiple trading contracts.

Obelisk Investigation

The group got to investigating the obelisk, a massive basalt thing etched with tiny columns of khebite runes. It radiated evocation, necromancy and enchantment. Suspicious. What was also Suspicious was another group investigating the obelisk. A trio of Khebite scholars and engineers who were very hostile to the party. One clamed to be an obelisk engineer who was there to ensure the harvests would be properly managed, but their leader a rather stern woman, continued to press the party on why they were there.

Not to be deterred, the party started to watch this group too. And eventually they said they had to leave for 3 days to take some observations about Syzygy futher south. The party, agreeing that sounded important, send them on their way. As soon as they left the city walls, the party was ransacking their apartment.

A stone idol guarded some important documents, and they also found information about the Curator and the attack on Lathus’s estate. Stowing that away for future use, the group figured out that the obelisk had a maintenance area, and so under cover of night they went down.

There they discovered a hoard of undead, in stasis, like a massive security system waiting to be tripped. The Obelisk was directly linked to this army, which, if the party was correct would attempt to eliminate anyone leaving the city through the desert.

But beyond that they found a city. A full second city underneath Anmenu. They left to explore, leaving the area covered by the obelisk by going down. After exploring the city limits they found a tomb. This preported to be the tomb of Amun Re - the last Pharaoh of Anmenu.

The Tomb of Amun Re

They entered the tomb, seeing no other way to leave without triggering the undead army. The party adventured for a few days, uncovering the final resting place, nay final prison of the Pharaoh Amun Re. They learned Amun Re ruled over 200 years ago when this city was first built to be a trading out post. There was no obelisk then, and as time went on the city grew rich yes, but it grew apart from the rest of Na-Keb. Ultimately, Amun Re learned too much from the foreigners. He learned new ways of rule and being. This was anathema to the Board who damned him to be forgotten. His city, an emblem of foreign influence burred under the sands to be lost to time. With these lessons learned, perhaps in the future a new city would rise, but Amnu Re would never be known.

They fought undead guardians, intent on ensuring the royal line was never allowed to escape or be found. They discovered, trapped and nearly insane Amun Re’s advisor, the sphinx Aionix. They rescued him from his prison and learned all they could, the Sphinx excited to learn anything new after hundreds of years.

The party found the final guardian, a mummified soldier there to prevent anyone from ever leaving the tomb. Crushing his organs preserved in canoptic jars, they rendered him vulnerable, and dispatched this guardian to finally escape, the lesson of Amun Re and their knowledge of just how Na-Keb operates in hand.

Faridah had grown worried, but stayed as contracted, when the party found her she was impressed, no one else had made it out of there so intact, nor with a Sphinx in tow. Despite her excellent advice, as well as several members of the party with years of survival instinct, the group stopped at an oasis one evening, only to find a pair of eyes looking at them from the water. This creature offered a to help, so very simple, they just needed to ask. Everyone but Ger said no, and so Ger finds himself sharing his body with the Maraid Ghazala al-Ittihad. She is a great companion who merely wants her master - - freed to enslave the entire human race once again. Finally arriving back the group was able to return to Maruk mostly triumphant, though the nature of their triumph was somewaht of a secret.

Return to Maruk

Balitzar listened with great interest, and seemed to be asking many pointed quetions about how this might effect the merchants, perhaps words like mental assault, enslave, attack on our merchants were used. The party did their best to be neutral and factual, but there was enough there. Baltizar gave the party some letters, suggesting they talk to Marical the Fifth first, then head to execute his stock trades, the contents of which he was perfectly happy to let the party read.

Maurkim was mobilizing for war.

Maurkim Mobilizes for War

The justification, while thin, was enough to bring the council of 300 in to a session, and based on their discussion with Marcial the Fifth war was inevitable. Looking over the trades Baltizar wanted to do, the party agreed, and invested much of their recent earnings in iron, grain and for Murrigan, at least one Khoffee farm.

Finally - the party was given more. The war was important yes Baltizar told them, and that is due to some important plans that he, and his associate in Na-Keb were brewing to help stop Sarmania.

At this very moment, Sarmania was mobilizng too, alone Na-Keb could not possibly halt them, and then Ereishkegal gains control over the obelisks, and who knows what she can do with that level of control. Especially now that they know how the obelisks effect the population. So Maurkim must invade so the Maurkim armies will be present too. Baltizar insists that Heknuhedjet will ensure the western front is surrendered, and near the great river, Maurkim and Khebite forces will unify against the invading Sarmanians.

The party is important in this, the Cursed City, formerly Anmin, now changed by the death of the Desert god could hold important clues as to the nature of Ganzir, and potential Sarmanian plans. The party was to venture across the desert, meet with Heknuhedjet in Ari-Maat and then venture in to the cursed city to recover what they could.

Varrad Joins The Party

To ensure a smooth expedition, Baltizar added a member of his personal guard to the party, a Taciturn man by the name of Varrad. A many of many nations, he served loyally for many years, and now he joins the party to help his Employer and the Order of the New Dawn in whatever way he can.

To The Cursed City

And so, the party ventures in to the desert, Farida and Kar their guides, ready to delve once again in to Na-Keb’s past.