Yusef #3

[GM Mad]

Yusef #3

"That is good to hear. If I am able to pursue that goal, I will return to ask for your assistance."

"And you shall have it."


The Haifami are nearing their home village, only to find dark smoke rising from it. Chief Shafiya orders the canoe's pulled onto the shore. The remaining distance to the village will be done on foot.

Yusef approaches the Haifami who translated earlier. "We should be careful when we get near the village. There may be a trap or other dangers awaiting us."

"The chief knows. Several of us will go ahead to scout the village, while the main body follows. You are not of our tribe, so you are not subject to the chief's orders. You can come with us if you wish."


Yusef joins the scouts and you pull ahead of the others, leaving the chief and Najib behind. The next half hour is spent moving through the thick jungle and cautiously advancing through the coconut groves. In time Mgaiswalu, or what remains of it, comes into sight. The village, once protected by a stout stockade, is broken and shattered. Dead men, women, and children are scattered across the ground and through the wreckage of the Haifami huts. Much of the village is in ashes and fires still smolder throughout.

There is no sign of the attackers from the forest side of the village. The area seems eerily quiet and deserted. The main body of the Chief's men arrives shortly after you do. As a whole, the group moves deeper into the village. As you reach the beach, boats of unknown origin are spotted. They do not belong to the Haifami. The chief calls something out to his men and they grasp their spears tighter.

"Be on guard," the translator tells Yusef. "Those are the boats of our enemy."

A beastly cry is heard and the enemy springs out of concealment! They rush to attack the villagers! Among the attackers are five creatures that Yusef will recognize as ogres. But with them are three other ogre-like creatures that he has never seen before. They are shorter than ogres and have bluish-green skin, compared to the yellow to black skin tone of the regular ogres. The beasts move to attack!

-----

Yusef's online info has been updated. As you suspected, no levels where gained.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Not surprisingly, Yusef joins the scouts in approaching the village. Devastation is everywhere, and the dead are scattered about like rag dolls. Tears come to his eyes at the sight of so many innocents dead.

Moving toward the beach, boats are spotted. The translator tells Yusef that these boats belong to their enemy. The attackers must be nearby. Yusef immediately calls up the wolf spirit once again to help locate the attackers.

Just as he's casting the spell, a number of large humanoids leap out in an attempt to ambush the Haifami. Seeing ogres and some blue-skinned creatures, Yusef decides to go after those he's not familiar with. He suspects that he will encounter more before this quest is resolved. Sending the wolf after the ogres, Yusef attacks the nearest of the blue-skinned humanoids, which he suspects are the Gurum he's been told of.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The village of Mgaiswalu has been reached, but the enemy has already attacked it. From the looks of it, most of the villagers are dead. Yusef summons a Wolf Spirit to locate the enemy, but they show just as he completes the spell. The Gurum are revealed to be a tribe of ogres and ogre-like creatures. They rush to attack!

The Wolf Spirit is sent to intercept the ogres. The chief and his warriors engage the ogres as well, leaving the ogre-like creatures (called ogrima) for Yusef.

The monk moves faster then the hulking brutes he faces. Yusef easily avoids their clumsy attempts to smash him with their clubs. Reaching the first ogrima, Yusef unleashes a fury of punches and kicks that renders the target unconscious.

The pattern then repeats itself. Yusef avoids being hit and his counter attack lays out his foes. In just a few moments, the last of the ogrima falls.

Looking around Yusef can see that the warriors have teamed up against the ogres while their chief engages them in single combat. The battle goes well for them and the ogres are dropping.

A mournful wail is heard from out on the water. Looking in that direction you note a boat further out. In it are several more ogres and one very unusual one. This creature has light green skin and ivory horns. It is taller than the ogres with it and is dressed in exotic looking clothes. This is an ogre-magi.

It holds a large shell in its hand and the ogre-magi blows into it, creating the wail you heard. The water closer to shore bubbles and churns and then something violently erupts from the waves! The creatures are huge, like a cross between a giant and a crab. These can only be the sartani that Yusef heard about before! The crab-like creatures are twenty feet tall and they begin to move onto the shore!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

There are two sartani emerging from the water. Gurum is the name of the tribe that is a mixture of ogres, ogre-magi, and ogrima. The later are the results of interbreeding between ogres and ogre-magi.

The three ogrima were knocked unconscious from Yusef's attacks.

A Yusef #3 online file has been started and it includes this update.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

It is but a matter of a few moments to take down the blue-skinned ogrima. Their clumbsy attacks cannot touch him, and they quickly succumb to the beating that Yusef serves up.

Looking about, he sees that the Haifami appear to have the ogres in hand. He is about to join them, when he hears noise from out on the water. There, he sees another boat, this one with more ogres and an ogre-magi. The ogre-magi blows on a shell of some kind, and soon a pair of giant creatures begin to emerge from the water near the beach. These must be the sartani he was told of!

Pausing for just a second, Yusef directs the Spirit Wolf to attack one of the emerging sartani, then rushes forward to engage the other.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The fighting on the shore of Mgaiswalu continues! The ogrima have been downed and the chief and his warriors are engaging the ogres. In a boat off shore, an ogre-magi blows a shell and it summons a pair of sartani, huge crab-like humanoids! They are twenty feet tall and start to lumber ashore.

Yusef rushes to engage the first of the sartani, entering the water to reach it. The shell of these creatures is very hard and it blocks some of Yusef's attacks. This creature will not go down as easily as the ogrima!

The sartani tries to snag the fast-moving Yusef with his giant claw, but misses badly.

Yusef continues his assault and more punches and kicks land. Again the sartani snaps its claw missing Yusef.

Finally, after another fury of attacks, the sartani teeters and then falls into the water!

Catching his breath, Yusef looks around and sees that the Wolf Spirit is no longer here, having been destroyed by the other sartani. The chief and his warriors defeated the ogres and they then removed the unconscious ogrima. Together they are moving towards the last sartani.

The sartani snaps its claws and it nearly slices one of the warriors in half! The man screams loudly for a moment and then stops. His body hits the water, his blood merging with the waves.

Yusef rushes to join the warriors and together they bring the last sartani down.

All is quiet for a moment, but then you here the wail of the shell once more. Looking out into the lagoon, you see the ogre-magi summon another sartani. But this one appears near the boat. The ogre-magi flies up and lands on the sartani's shoulder. The sartani then turns and begins to walk deeper into the lagoon, in the general direction of the wreck of the Wanderer and the nest of the Great and Dread God. The sartani sinks into the water as it goes out deeper until it and the ogre-magi vanish under the waves.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef finds that it is a good thing that the Brotherhood had him spend all that time toughening his hands. Even so, striking the sartani's shell stings quite a bit. Fortunately, Yusef is able to find some weak points and nerve clusters, which enable him to take down the giant humanoid crustacean.

A quick glance reveals that his Spirit Wolf has been destroyed by the sartani. Yusef is saddened by the loss, but is grateful that its sacrifice gave the Haifami time to defeat the ogres.

As they all converge on the remaining sartani, it catches one of the tribal warriors. The warrior dies almost instantly, and Yusef pauses for just a second to say a quick prayer for his soul.

All of them working together, they manage to slay the remaining sartani quickly.

Realizing that the ogre-magi is the key, Yusef goes in search of the translator. Just as he finds him, they hear the ogre-magi summon another sartani. Watching to see what the magi's plan is now, they see him climb upon the sartani and ride it out deeper into the lagoon.

"We cannot allow the ogre-magi to escape," Yusef says to the translator. "Please ask Najib to cast her spells on me so that I may pursue him into the deeper water."

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

"We cannot allow the ogre-magi to escape," Yusef says to the translator. "Please ask Najib to cast her spells on me so that I may pursue him into the deeper water."

The translator nods his understand and summons the shaman. Najib aggress and moves to the water's edge, where she begins her dance to summon Amanzi. (Amanzi will cast the Water Breathing spell, not Najib directly.)

After a time, Amanzi rises up and converses with Najib. Words are exchanged and then Najib gestures for Yusef to approach. As he gets closer, Yusef can see that Amanzi has the appearance of a human female, but is entirely composed of water.

"You do not need my help", Amanzi tells Yusef. "You wield the Sapphire Sword. Hold it and you can survive anywhere, even underwater."

"We must hurry," Amanzi continues. "Mus intends to open a portal to the realm of the Great and Dread God in exchange for more power. More sartani will come through it and other monstrosities as well. All these islands will be overrun and none will survive. Take my hand. I can lead you where you need to go, but I can offer little in the way of aid beyond this."

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef waits, trying to be patient as the interpreter explains his request to Najib and she summons the water spirit. He knows the ogre-magi is getting farther away with every second that passes, making it harder to catch up.

[quote='Amanzi"]"You do not need my help", Amanzi tells Yusef. "You wield the Sapphire Sword. Hold it and you can survive anywhere, even underwater." [/quote]

"Ahh... Forgive me, Lady Amanzi. I did not know that." As he speaks, Yusef draws the sword of his ancestor and pauses to marvel at it a moment.

"We must hurry," Amanzi continues. "Mus intends to open a portal to the realm of the Great and Dread God in exchange for more power. More sartani will come through it and other monstrosities as well. All these islands will be overrun and none will survive. Take my hand. I can lead you where you need to go, but I can offer little in the way of aid beyond this."

"He must be stopped. Please, show me the way, and I will do what may be done." He holds his empty left hand out to the water spirit. Hopefully she will be able to speed his passage so that Mus can be caught before he reaches his goal.

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I like the similarity with the African spider god's name, Anansi.

I'm not certain what the proper form of address is for a minor deity / elemental spirit like this would be. Let's assume that Yusef does.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued

"Ahh... Forgive me, Lady Amanzi. I did not know that." As he speaks, Yusef draws the sword of his ancestor and pauses to marvel at it a moment.

"The Sword of the Wanderer allows you to go almost anywhere," Amanzi explains. "It grants access to those places that curiosity takes you."

"He must be stopped. Please, show me the way, and I will do what may be done." He holds his empty left hand out to the water spirit. Hopefully she will be able to speed his passage so that Mus can be caught before he reaches his goal.

Amanzi takes Yusef's hand, and while it feels like wet water, it is also solid at the same time. Amazi dives into the water, dragging Yusef behind her. She quickly accelerates to a speed far beyond what Yusef could even run on dry land! The sensation of not needing to breath underwater is unnerving at first, but quickly fades as new troubles come into sight.

The surface of the Batihat al-Saji churns violently with the energies being released underneath it. A great maelstrom forms in the heart of the lagoon and the waters around it roll viciously.

But Amanzi plows straight through this violently waters as if they are not really there. The currents batter about Yusef, but Amanzi maintains her grip on him. The wrecks of many sunken vessels litter the lagoon floor. The maelstrom whips about a few of the wrecks.

Amanzi reaches the heart of the maelstrom. There you find Mus making his offering to a giant oyster sitting on the lagoon floor. Inside the oyster is a huge pearl of oily blackness that throbs and shudders as if alive. The violent energies of the maelstrom come from this black pearl as if it was the tip of a tornado.

"The oyster is the gate itself opening," Amanzi explains. "Force the shell closed and the gate will shut! The longer it remains open, the more creatures will pour through, including the avatar of the Great and Dread God himself!"

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

In addition to any other properties, the Sapphire Sword or the Sword of the Wanderer functions like a Necklace of Adaptation when held.

I like the similarity with the African spider god's name, Anansi.

Purely coincidental in this case. Serendipity!

I'm not certain what the proper form of address is for a minor deity / elemental spirit like this would be. Let's assume that Yusef does.

Just be polite.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef nods as Amanzi fills him in on the function of the sword he inherited. "Amazing..."

The water god's grasp is unlike anything Yusef has ever experienced; it is firm, yet watery at the same time. Truly only magic can explain such a thing!

With Amanzi providing the propulsion, they race through the wildly frothing waters of the lagoon. It surprises Yusef to see that there are many wrecked ships down here.

The roiling water is like a tornado, but beneath the surface, and it batters at them as they pass through. Still, they make it unharmed, to find the ogre-magi called Mus near the center of the unnatural disturbance. Before him lies a huge oyster, partially opened, a giant black pearl within. The maelstrom appears to be coming from the pearl, which pulses as though alive!

"The oyster is the gate itself opening," Amanzi explains. "Force the shell closed and the gate will shut! The longer it remains open, the more creatures will pour through, including the avatar of the Great and Dread God!"

"Can the oyster be closed while Mus yet lives, or must he be slain first?"

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

"Can the oyster be closed while Mus yet lives, or must he be slain first?"

"It can be closed while Mus lives, but he will try to stop you, along with the sartani he summoned earlier."

The giant crab man stands on the lagoon floor, close to Mus.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

"It can be closed while Mus lives, but he will try to stop you, along with the sartani he summoned earlier."

"Unfortunately, I doubt I could succeed while being attacked," Yusef replies. He gives the water spirit a quick bow, and then races off as fast as he can manage here under the water.

Sword held in his left hand, Yusef makes straight for the ogre-magi, attempting to approach from behind without being seen. As soon as he is close, he will launch a full attack using his hands, elbows, knees and feet in the manner in which he was taught.

Perhaps, destroying the summoner will remove the sartani from the fight. Then again, Yusef doubts he will get that lucky.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued

Amanzi has led Yusef into the heart of the maelstrom. There, Mus is besieging the Great and Dread God Kar'r'rga for more aid! Amanzi lets go of Yusef and he moves easily through the churning waters, his Ring of Free Action allowing him to move as easily as he can on land.

Mus is reached and Yusef launches into a deadly attack from the rear! All his attacks connect and he can feel bones shattered after one powerful kick! Mus is knocked forward and he slumps over as if near death! The ogre magi then rises up and is rapidly carried away by the swift current.

A giant claw reaches for Yusef, as the sartani makes it's presence felt. But it's too slow and Yusef moves away from the clumsy assault.

As he moves, Yusef catches movement back at the giant oyster! There, a colossal claw is beginning to emerge! The Great and Dread God is coming!

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Slipping silently up behind the ogre-magi, Yusef utilizes a combo-attack technique called Six Teeth of the Dragon in an attempt to quickly subdue the humanoid. Bones crack and muscles tear, causing the ogre-magi to slump collapse. The swirling winds pick up the body and begins to whisk it away.

"Amanzi! Can you keep Mus' body from being carried away?!" Yusef calls out, even as he is forced to dodge an attack from the sartani. "I don't know if he's dead!"

Then Yusef spots the gigantic claw beginning to poke out from within the oyster. With no time left to fight the sartani, he races forward and tries to stab the claw with the Sapphire Sword. Hopefully, that will cause it to flinch back into the shell so he can try to close it.

________________________________________________________

Essentially, Yusef will push down on the upper half of the shell in an attempt to close it, then stand on top to fight the sartani.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued

"Amanzi! Can you keep Mus' body from being carried away?!" Yusef calls out, even as he is forced to dodge an attack from the sartani. "I don't know if he's dead!"

The water spirit complies with Yusef's wishes and the waters around the ogre magi become calm. Mus hangs deathly still in a small pocket of calmness in the midst of utter turmoil.

Avoiding the sartani, Yusef moves to intercept the giant claw emerging from the oyster. The claw is far bigger than the opening it came out of, suggesting that some sort of magic is at work here. Yusef tries to stab the claw with the Sapphire Sword, but it passes harmlessly through it!

“The avatar will not completely form until all of it has passed through,” Amanzi shouts. “You can still close the shell while it's trying to come out!”

Ignoring the avatars claw, Yusef stands on top of the giant oyster shell, trying to force it down. But it won't budge! Yusef isn't strong enough to move it!

As if that wasn't bad enough, the sartani lumbers toward Yusef, it's claw raised up as it is going to smash him!

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

The humongous claw proves to be insubstantial as Yusef's sword passes right through it. According to Amanzi, it won't inhibit closing the shell.

However, the feat proves to be beyond the strength of Yusef. Try as he might, he can cause the lid to budge.

Warned by the sound and the movements of the water, Yusef looks up in time to see the sartani charging to attack. Perhaps he can make this work for him...

Yusef waits for the giant creature to attack, using his own quickness and agility in an attempt to avoid it's brute power. Once it has done so, he should be able to leap over it and attack it from behind. His goal is to knock the heavy creature onto the top of the oyster shell, in the hopes that it's weight will help in forcing it closed.

__________________________________________________________

Essentially, kill the monster and try to cause the body to topple onto the shell as it falls.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Yusef tries to close the giant oyster's shell, but the task is beyond his strength. Even worse, the sartani is closing in! The giant crabman has his claw raised high overhead. It's clear that it's going to drop it down at any moment.

Yusef is prepared for the attack and easily dodges it by swimming up and over it. The sartani's claw smashes into the oyster shell forcing it downward! The move puts the sartani off balance and when Yusef kicks it, the creature stumbles forward falling on top of the shell! The crabman's bulk forces the shell to close. The Great and Dread God's avatar winks out of existence as the shell is shut.

When the shell closes, the maelstrom begins the cease. The water returns to its usual calm in a matter of moments. The sartani vanishes in the wake of the shell closing.

“You've done it,” Amazi announces swimming closer. She's practically invisible in the still water. “Only one task remains. The shell possessed by Mus must be smashed. Otherwise he my try to do this again.”

The shell floats close to Mus' unmoving body on a tether.

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef's years of training pay off as his plan works just as he intended. He easily avoids the sartani's blow and is able to get past it quickly by vaulting over its shoulder. Before the lumbering creature can even turn, Yusef catches it with a leaping kick that causes it to stumble and fall on the giant shell. Between its weight and its earlier blow, the shell is forced closed.

The closing of the shell has several beneficial effects. Not only does it cancel the summoning of Kar'r'rga, but the sartani is banished as well. Plus, the waters begin to settle as the spell dissipates.

“You’ve done it,” Amanzi announces swimming closer. She’s practically invisible in the still water. “Only one task remains. The shell possessed by Mus must be smashed. Otherwise he my try to do this again.”

Yusef can hear the water spirit far easier than see it here in its home environment. Looking toward the ogre-magi, he can see the shell tethered to Mus' body. "I understand," he says.

Not certain that Mus is dead, Yusef approaches quickly but warily. With his ancestor's sword, he cuts the tether holding the shell and takes it in his free hand. Unwilling to allow this being to cause further harm to the citizens of the area, Yusef runs him through with the sword.

Once certain that Mus is dead, Yusef will set about the destruction of the shell. He will find a large rock to set it on, then take up the largest rock he can lift and attempt to smash the shell with it.

___________________________________________________________

I made the assumption here that Mus was at least unconscious. If that is incorrect, please feel free to edit appropriately.

[GM Mad]

Update #36

The oyster shell has been shut and with it, the Great and Dread God's avatar returned to whatever lower plane spawned it. The maelstrom ceases and the lagoon returns to it usual calm. Amanzi congratulates Yusef on completing this task, but warns that the shell Mus used to summon the sartani must also be smashed or this could all happen again.

Moving closer, Yusef can see that Mus is still breathing, but it is labored. Without medical attention, the ogre magi will soon perish. Using the Sapphire Sword, Yusef speeds that process along.

Turning his attention to the shell, Yusef smashes to pieces using rocks found on the lagoon floor.

“Peace has been restored to these islands,” Amanzi says. “I have nothing to reward you for this task, but I am sure that if you explore the wrecks that litter the lagoon floor you will find as much wealth as you wish. The ship you spoke of before, the Wanderer, lies not far away from here.”

“Do you wish me to take you back to the shore?”

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

It turns out that Mus is in worse shape than Yusef thought, and the Sapphire Sword quickly ends that threat once and for all. Fotunately, the shell is easily destroyed as well.

“Peace has been restored to these islands,” Amanzi says. “I have nothing to reward you for this task, but I am sure that if you explore the wrecks that litter the lagoon floor you will find as much wealth as you wish. The ship you spoke of before, the Wanderer, lies not far away from here.” “Do you wish me to take you back to the shore?”

"No reward is necessary, as I did not seek one," Yusef replies.

"Yes. While I look forward to investigating my ancestor's ship, I should return and tell the Haifami what transpired here. From there, I will need to make the trip back to my family's village to let them know as well.

"Perhaps after that, I can return here to investigate the ship. As we leave, could you take us first to the surface so I can get a feel for where we are to make it easier to return?"

________________________________________________________

Basically, Yusef is looking to triangulate their rough position by sighting on the various islands. He will also note the direction of the Wanderer from here based on the pull of the sword.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The Great and Dread God is no longer a threat. The shell used by Mus to summon the sartani has been destroyed and Mus himself slain. Amanzi proclaims that peace has come to the islands once more.

"Yes. While I look forward to investigating my ancestor's ship, I should return and tell the Haifami what transpired here. From there, I will need to make the trip back to my family's village to let them know as well.

"Perhaps after that, I can return here to investigate the ship. As we leave, could you take us first to the surface so I can get a feel for where we are to make it easier to return?"

“As you wish,” Amanzi answers. You feel her hand in yours and you begin to rise up towards the surface, some 200 feet above.

You break the surface and find yourself far away from the Haifami Island you just departed. Looking around, you can see the familiar peaks of Jazirat al-Qraidis to the south and east. The location of the giant oyster shell is roughly in the lagoon between al-Qraidis and al-Sadaf. It's roughly about 35 miles from the closest point of al-Qraidis.

There three islands to the south and three to the north that form the antenna of the crab islands. You're roughly in between the middle islands. The Wanderer lies in the general direction of al-Qraidis.

After gathering your bearings, Amanzi dives once more and races you back to the Haifami village you departed from. She lets go near the shore and returns to her watery depths. You're in about waist deep water as you begin to walk to the shore. The Haifami are there awaiting your return.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Taking Amanzi's hand, they quickly rise to the surface. The water spirit allows him several moments to look around and get a rough idea of where they are and how to return.

Soon they are off again, Amanzi driving them swiftly through the water. Now that he can afford to take the time to pay attention, it is really an amazing experience. While it is clear that they are moving very rapidly, there isn't any of the battering resistance from the water that one would normally expect when moving this fast. How much of that is Amanzi's doing and how much the result of holding the Sapphire Sword Yusef has no way of knowing.

"Goodbye, and thank you, kind spirit," Yusef says as Amanzi returns to her home. Then, turning, he strides toward the shore and the waiting Haifami.

Yusef makes his way to approach the chieftain, beckoning the interpreter over as he does so. "It is done, Chief Shafiya," he says, bowing. "The ogre-magi known as Mus has been slain and the summoning of Kar'r'rga ended. Amanzi has assured me that peace has been restored."

Yusef pauses for the chief's questions and/or comments before continuing.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

"Goodbye, and thank you, kind spirit," Yusef says as Amanzi returns to her home. Then, turning, he strides toward the shore and the waiting Haifami.

“Thank you,” Amanzi answers. “There would have been much bloodshed if you hadn't stopped Mus.”

Yusef makes his way to approach the chieftain, beckoning the interpreter over as he does so. "It is done, Chief Shafiya," he says, bowing. "The ogre-magi known as Mus has been slain and the summoning of Kar'r'rga ended. Amanzi has assured me that peace has been restored."

The interpreter happily relays the message and the chief's tone noticeably eases. It's as if a great weight has been lifted from him. The tension among his men eases as well.

Words are exchanged between the chief and the interpreter who them passes them on to you.

“Chief Shafiya does thank you for your deeds and the honoring your words. As he promised earlier, there will be peace between our people. Although there is much sorrow for those we lost, you will always be known as a hero among our people and welcome here any time. A great feast will be held in your honor for the next several days.”


All the Haifami will hail Yusef as a hero. The task of cleaning up the village and seeing to those killed follows. But as the day winds on, more villages return. Many simply fled into the jungle when the attack came. By nightfall, there is a roaring fire on the beach and much seafood is being prepared.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The Haifami plan to celebrate for a few days before returning to you Sams Bandar. There, the Chief will sign a peace treaty. They also plan to reward you with many gifts, including copra, wicker baskets, crab-shell shields, native jewelry and other trinkets, all of which can be resold at a later date should you so desire.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

“Chief Shafiya does thank you for your deeds and the honoring your words. As he promised earlier, there will be peace between our people. Although there is much sorrow for those we lost, you will always be known as a hero among our people and welcome here any time. A great feast will be held in your honor for the next several days.”

Yusef bows once again. "I am honored by your generosity and willingness to see peace between our peoples." He is surprised by the intended duration of the feast, but he will not dishonor the offer by refusing.

Yusef will join in the efforts to rebuild the village and lay the dead to rest. If the Haifami don't object, he will perform rites over the bodies of the fallen.

As night approaches, Yusef will attend the feast and enjoy the food, beverages, celebration and company. When he rises in the morning, he will be sure to request Telepathy among his spells to aid communication.

Over the next couple days, he will look for a time when he doesn't seem to be needed for the festivities. If such a time arises, he will approach Najib and ask her via Telepathy spell whether she has a spell that can speed his travel either above or through the water. Since it will be several days until they return to Sams Bandar, he hopes to be able to investigate the Wanderer in the interim.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The days pass quickly in the aftermath of Mus' defeat. Life slowly returns to the village and the wanderlust strikes Yusef once more. He speaks to Najib via a Telepathy spell inquiring if she has any way to speed up travel over the ocean. Outside of Amanzi's aid, she doesn't have any magic that would do what Yusef requests.

While the path to sail directly from where you are at to reach the Wanderer wreck and Sams Bandar is shorter if you cross the lagoon, the Haifami won't sail that way. Instead they would take the route you used to reach here, which was circular and added many days of travel.

“With the Great and Dread God silence, the lagoon is now peaceful, but the Children of Sartan exist in great numbers on the islands in the lagoon. Thousands of the creatures live on those islands, making them unsafe to land on. That is why we take the long, but safer way to reach your home. I can summon Amanzi and make a request for you.”

Yusef can borrow a canoe easily enough and perhaps find a few brave souls to sail with him, but you'd be unable to go a shore during your trip to reach the Wanderer. The Haifami tell tales of those who did land on those islands being assaulted by swarms of normal sized crabs. These Children of Sartan are said to eat human flesh! Your mother's people have similar fears and they do not go into the lagoon at all.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

There appears to be no convenient way to pursue his own priorities during the celebration, so Yusef decides to just wait it out. Besides, it won't really be that long and he doesn't want to risk offending anyone.

Yusef will enjoy the Haifami hospitality and companionship while getting plenty of rest and seeing to his devotions on a regular basis. When opportunity allows, he will practice his forms and katas to keep limber and fit.

___________________________________________________________

It appears to me that the northernmost tip of Jazirat al-Qraidis is actually closer to his destination in the lagoon than their current location. Once he returns to Sams Bandar, he will look for someone willing to take him out there in their boat.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The days roll past as the Haifami prepare for the journey back to Sams Bandar. Their canoes are loaded up with the goods they are giving you as a gift. A total of ten canoes set out on the journey. The Haifami spirits are high as they begin the journey. The trip is much like the one to get here, they're just sailing in the opposite direction. They sail between the islands by day and pull up on shore at night.

During the trip Najib will ask many questions about the outside world. She is hopeful that this peace treaty between her tribe on Yusef's people will curb slaver activities in this area. Too many of her people have been taken in the past.

Finally, you reach the furthest island and once more make the daylong trek to reach the island of holds Sams Bandar. The following day, the canoes skirt the coastline and near the end of the day the makeshift docks of Sams Bandar come into view.

The people of Sams Bandar are leery as they witness the canoes come closer.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Yes, it is closer. That was the 35 miles to the closet point reading Yusef took earlier. Your Uncle Fahid is a semi-adventurous sort and might go along on the trip. Best guess would be that it would take 2 days for the fishing boats to travel the distance to the wreck from the closest landfall. The only draw back is that you can't make safe landfall during the trip due to the crab infestation on the islands, so a few nights will have to be spent on the open water.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

The celebrations are quite enjoyable, and Yusef starts to get a feel for the language of the Haifami, which bears some similarity to that of his own people. The villagers treat him well, and some of the women flirt with him, apparently seeing him as some kind of hero.

Though he can only use it twice a day, Yusef gets great benefit from his Telepathy spell, using it to converse with Najib, the chieftain and others in the village.

Soon, they leave to make the return trip to Sams Bandar. Yusef feels bad for having left his people wondering for so long. He wishes that he could have gotten a message to them sooner to let them know that all is well.

Yusef continues to use the helpful spell for communication, particularly in answering Najib's questions. While he has only see a small part of the rest of the world, Yusef will share what he has seen with her. The issue of slavers is very distressing. Perhaps the two peoples can work together to make life safer for both.

Learning from Najib that they intend to approach Sams Bandar by canoe, Yusef requests that he be allowed to accompany the lead canoe as they draw close, with the others staying back a bit. When the time comes, Yusef will stand up in the canoe and call out to those who see them approach, calling those he knows by name.

"The threat has been ended! The Haifami come to make peace with our people in celebration! Please tell chief al-Samsi the good news!"

_________________________________________________________

Has Yusef had enough exposure to the Haifami language that he might be able to put points into it at his next level-up?

[GM Mad]

Post Closed