Yusef #4

[GM Mad]

Yusef #4

Yusef has finally returned to Sams Bandar, the home village of his mother's family. He arrives on Haifami canoes. Relations between the two peoples have been strained over the years, so there are a few tense moments.

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

This news is well received and the situation is calmed. The new arrivals are warmly greeted and yet another feast is planned for this evening. The Haifami interpreter will inquire as to where Yusef will like his treasure placed.

The next several days pass quickly between celebrating and concluding the mutual non-aggression pact between the two peoples. The people of Sams Bandar do not keep slaves, so they were never the ones preying on the Haifami. However, there are some lands in Zakhara where slavery is legal, so it might have been ships from those regions.

The merchant who promised you the Anklets you had your eyes on before will give them to you. Some of the local merchants will be interested in the goods the Haifami gave you as a reward, although none of them have enough wealth to purchase everything.

The treaty is signed and more celebrations are had. Finally, the Haifami will depart for home. Najib will say a tearful goodbye before leaving. Life will slowly return to normal in the village and the wanderlust will begin to drive Yusef on once more.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

The Blackhawk knew about this location, so it's reasonable to assume that your aunts also gathered slaves from this location. Seeing dark-skinned slaves while growing up wasn't uncommon to Yusef. Oh, and yes the ship in New Frontiers was the same one you were on before!

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

Seems reasonable to me.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef's message has the hoped-for effect, and the people welcome the Haifami to Sams Bandar. Once again, efforts turn toward planning a feast. It occurs to Yusef that these people really seem to enjoy celebrating - or perhaps they've just been scared for so long that they need the release. Either way, this is no doubt good for them.

The Haifami interpreter will inquire as to where Yusef will like his treasure placed.

"Ah... I don't know..." Yusef replies, still not really comfortable with the idea of them giving him so much when they have so little. Still, he cannot risk offending them. "How about over there by my grandparents' house," he says, pointing.

Yusef watches, pleased as the treaty between the two peoples is negotiated and signed. If they desire it, he will request Celestian's blessing upon this momentus event. The celebration also gives Yusef a chance to practice both the Haifami language and that of his own people. While he has a basic grasp of the latter, he is very new to the former, and hopes the Haifami won't mind too much him learning to speak their language. It is also to be hoped that others of both tribes will get better at communicating with each other.

When approached by the merchant, Yusef will gratefully accept the anklets. He is careful to make sure that he praises the workmanship and the generosity with which they are given. Yusef will hold off on selling any of the goods from the Haifami until they have left to return to their own island. In the meantime, he asks his grandfather to take on the job of deciding what to do with the stuff. Yusef will keep a few nice pieces, some can be given away as presents, and some can eventually be sold to the local merchants.

Soon, the Haifami prepare to depart. Yusef says his goodbyes to the chieftain, describing his honor at working with the Haifami and his sorrow at their losses. Turning to Najib, Yusef says that it was a great pleasure to meet her and to spend time talking with her. He also expresses his hope that they will meet again.

Once Yusef is well rested, he meets with uncle Fahid to talk about his desire to explore the wreck of The Wanderer. He describes the area where he believes the wreck to be, and asks Fahid if he is willing to help.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The Haifami have departed back to their home islands and life at Sams Bandar starts to return to normal.

Grandfather will happily take on the task of managing Yusef's unexpected wealth. Your family can use some of it while other items can be sold to the local merchants. The rest he surmises will have to wait for passing ships to be sold off. All toll he believes the material goods is worth nearly 5000 gp!

Uncle Fahid is very interested in the story that Yusef tells him.

“It will be a long and dangerous journey,” Fahid says. “We'll need plenty of room for supplies in the fishing boat, so we'll be limited to just you and me for the trip.”

The fishing boats used here are a type of island canoe, but these ones are a bit more advanced than the ones the Haifami use. They are faster and more seaworthy. Fahid estimates that it will take six days to sail around the island to reach the closest point to the wreck of the Wanderer. From there, it'll take more than a day to reach the wreck site.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

I forgot to mention that Yusef has 30,000 xp's to spend on his classes for completing the mission with the Haifami.

Any preparations you want to make for the trip? The fishing boat travels around 30 miles a day.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef is amazed by his grandfather's valuation of the gifts! How could the Haifami have afforded that kind of generosity? Hopefully, their generosity won't cripple their ability to recover from the devastation that their tribe has suffered.

"This sword is amazing, grandfather," Yusef says, indicating the Sapphire Sword. "With it, I can breathe and move as easily as on land. I wonder how our revered ancestor Rashid gained it."

"It will be a long and dangerous journey," Fahid says. "We'll need plenty of room for supplies in the fishing boat, so we'll be limited to just you and me for the trip."

Yusef nods, considering his uncle's words. "Hopefully, we two will be up to the task. If you let me know what you need, I will help collect the supplies. We may be able to fish or hunt along the way, as well."

From Fahid's estimation, the trip is longer than he had expected. Still, Yusef supposes it will go fast enough once they get going. There will be much to keep them busy and make the time go by quickly.

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30K, huh? Wow. Okay, let's put 21K into Monk to push him up a level and drop the rest in Thief.

Yusef isn't particularly good at planning trips like this. His main concerns are food and standard supplies like ropes. Should probably have some fishing gear, and Yusef will take his sling in case he needs to do some hunting. Otherwise, he'll have the Sapphire Sword and his throwing spikes with him for general weaponry.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued

"This sword is amazing, grandfather," Yusef says, indicating the Sapphire Sword. "With it, I can breathe and move as easily as on land. I wonder how our revered ancestor Rashid gained it."

“Seems to me to be fit in with the notion of it being the Sword of the Wanderer. It is to be wielded by someone who wants to go to and see many places, including those places that would be otherwise impossible to reach, such as underwater. It was forged for someone with a strong wanderlust to wield.”

Yusef nods, considering his uncle's words. "Hopefully, we two will be up to the task. If you let me know what you need, I will help collect the supplies. We may be able to fish or hunt along the way, as well."

“We should be able to fish during the trip and forage for food while on shore. We'll need fresh water for sure and some food stores. Otherwise, I should have everything else that we need. This promises to be quite the adventure!”

It only takes Fahid a day to gather all the things he needs. Nets for fishing, spears for fishing in shallow water, and so on. He's ready to go when you are.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Yusef's online info has been updated with the new level gain.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

“Seems to me to be fit in with the notion of it being the Sword of the Wanderer. It is to be wielded by someone who wants to go to and see many places, including those places that would be otherwise impossible to reach, such as underwater. It was forged for someone with a strong wanderlust to wield.”

"An interesting thought, grandfather," Yusef says, rubbing his stubble-covered chin. He's been so busy, he hasn't shaved in quite some days. "Perhaps there is a kinship of spirit, as well as blood, between myself and the Warlord himself. A conjecture worth thinking on."

“We should be able to fish during the trip and forage for food while on shore. We’ll need fresh water for sure and some food stores. Otherwise, I should have everything else that we need. This promises to be quite the adventure!”

"That is good news, uncle. I will start gathering barrels of fresh water to bring along." Yusef doesn't shy away from the hard work of preparation.

Come morning of the next day, Fahid announces that he is ready. Yusef, too, is ready, and says goodbye to his mother and grandparents. Then, boarding Fahid's boat, they set off on their journey. He's actually rather excited by the prospect, though his nature us such that he doesn't show it much.

__________________________________________________________

Since he has 3 CPs to spend, let's spend 1 to add spoken Haifami, add 1 to Fishing, and 1 to Local History.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Yusef and Uncle Fahid are off on their great journey! The relatives are up early to send them off.

The first leg of the journey is much like it was with the Haifami. The fishing canoe hugs the coastline of the island while moving south. By midmorning you've reached the southern tip of the island and are turning north once more. A huge sand bar is located here, so the water is not particularly deep.

The canoe is pulled ashore once the heat of the day becomes too much for Fahid. Fishing and foraging are done to gather the daily meal and a quiet evening follows.

The next few days pass quickly as the canoe hugs the coastline. The very next day the coastline turns to the west once more and rocky shoals can be seen sticking up out of the water further off shore. It would be a nightmare trying to navigate those!

The backside of the island is reached the next day. From here you're sailing to the northeast slightly, but growing every closer to the wreck of the Wanderer.

Finally at the end of the fifth day of sailing, the fishing canoe reaches the closest point to the location of the Wanderer.

The next day's sail will be the most difficult as you will not make landfall. Fahid estimates that the wreck is further out than the canoe can reach during the daytime, thus you'll be out on the water during the heat of the day. Fahid will construct a crude hat out of palm leaves in an attempt to protect himself.

As ready as you'll ever be, the fishing boat is pushed into the water and you set a course to the west. The pull on the sword leads you onward without error. In time the heat becomes too much for Fahid and you stop paddle to rest. Looking back you can see that the view is similar to what you saw from the water before. You're getting close.

Finally, the sky begins to darken and the heat wanes. Fahid feels better and you continue paddling on even into the darkness. At some point during the night the direction of the pull begins to change. Instead of being ahead, is slowly becomes down below. You're reached the wreck!

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Any special preparations before going down to explore the wreck?

Yusef's online sheet has been updated.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Yusef and his uncle spend the next five days making their way around the island. They hug the shore as they go, setting ashore to avoid the worst of the heat and to spend the night. Fishing and hunting provide sufficient provender for the pair of travelers.

A couple days into the trip, Yusef gets the idea to make better use of the spells Celestian has bestowed on him. That night, he changes up his spell arsenal. The next day, and every day thereafter, Yusef casts Aura of Comfort on Fahid around mid- to late-morning so as to protect him from the hottest parts of the day. At night, he uses Wyvern Watch to protect their campsite from intrusion.

On the sixth day of the trip, they head out into open water. This is the most dangerous part of the trip, since they won't be able to make landfall until they return. Once again, Yusef casts Aura of Comfort on Fahid so that he will be protected and they can make maximum progress toward the site of the wreck. By late evening, the pull from the sword is pretty much straight down, indicating that they have arrived.

Not wanting to do the exploring at night, Yusef recommends that they bed down for the night. Next morning, he casts several spells in preparation. First, he casts Sacred Guardian on Fahid, so that he will know if his uncle is endangered while he's exploring. Next, he casts Blessed Watchfulness on Fahid to help him remain safe. And finally, he restores the Aura of Comfort on his uncle. Between those three spells, Yusef feels confident that his uncle will be safe and comfortable while he's underwater.

"Be well, uncle," Yusef says. "I should be back before sundown." With that, he takes the Sapphire Sword in hand and drops over the side. Once in the water, Yusef begins working his way down toward the bottom. As he goes, he remains alert for danger from any direction.

___________________________________________________________________________

I have updated Yusef's spell list. If I had been smart, I would have done this last time.

Also, I have decided to try more of a sky blue for Yusef's signature color, since there are now more choices. I would love to do a yellow, but that just doesn't show up well enough.

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

The canoe holding Yusef and Uncle Fahid now floats above the wreck of the Wanderer. The night passes slowly before Celestian rises up illuminating all. (Oh, did I ever mention that Arret's Sun is named after Celestian?)

Once it is bright enough and the water clear, Yusef casts several spells upon his uncle to help him survive the heat of the day. Then grasping the Sapphire Sword, Yusef slides over the side of the canoe and descends into the depths.

There is a brief worry about drowning, but with the Sapphire Sword in hand breathing is not necessary. The lagoon bottom is over 200' down. Sight is not a problem as the water is crystal clear. Led by the Sapphire Sword, Yusef swims closer to the wreck of the Wanderer.

Up ahead, Yusef can see a shape coming into view. It is a ship, but not one like he's ever seen before. It's not like the square stern ships that he's seen in Cynalon before. No, this one swells up from it's bow and then gently tapers back at the stern so that it's larger than the bow, but smaller the largest part of the ship. (Basically, the ship is widest in the middle and narrows at the stern, not quite going to a point like a the bow.)

Passing over the bow, Yusef can see the ship is named the Wanderer in gold colored letters. The ship is lying on its side. The whole is about fifty feet long from bow to stern, and about twelve feet wide at its widest point. There is a main mast and a mizzenmast on the ship, but no sails. The rear of the ship is elevated a few steps and up there sits the rudder where the ship is steered. This elevated area is called a poop deck.

Underneath the poop deck are several small quarters. One is surely the cabin of the ship's captain and perhaps one for the first mate. Rounding out the area is a small galley. Other than the occasional fish, the area is deserted.

Something up on the poop deck attracts Yusef's attention, as if the sword was drawing him to it. A small railing protects the poop deck from the main deck; steps along either side give access to the raised area. A slit like depression is noted on the deck in front of the middle of this railing. The sapphires on the sword's hilt begin to glow the closer Yusef comes to the slit.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

I updated Yusef's sheet once more, this time adding data on the Sapphire Sword.

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef

Slipping down through the water, Yusef reassures himself that he has a firm grasp on the Sapphire Sword. The experience reminds him of his recent altercation with Mus and the task of blocking the arrival of Kar'r'rga. Part of him wishes Amanzi was here with him.

As he proceeds downward, a ship comes into view. Yusef soon verifies that this is The Wanderer. From what he can tell, it is a very different design from what he has seen previously. Making a circuit of the ship, he sees no obvious damage, despite it lying on its side at the bottom of the lagoon.

Moving closer, he can see most of the layout of the ship. There appear to be a pair of cabins and a small galley. Yusef starts to head toward the deck so as to explore belowdecks, but the Sapphire Sword seems to have other ideas. There is an increasing pull from the Sword toward the poop deck. Figuring it must be important, Yusef follows the lead. As the poop deck draws nearer, Yusef looks to see where the enchanted Sword is leading him. Strangely, the sapphires are beginning to glow, growing brighter as they draw closer! Just behind the railing Yusef notes some kind of slit or depression in the wood. He moves closer to investigate.

___________________________________________

No, I don't remember you ever mentioning the name of the sun, though I could certainly have forgotten.

A +4 scimitar?! Wow, that's as potent as TruthGiver!

Does this ship use a tiller (long stick attached to the rudder post) or a helm wheel?

[GM Mad]

Post Continued:

Moving closer to the slit in the deck, Yusef realizes that the Sapphire Sword would fit into opening.

[GM Mad]

GM Notes:

Wow, must be the shortest post I've ever written!

I checked and Yusef didn't have the Astronomy NWP, so that may have been why I didn't mention it, but he should have at least know that the sun was called Celestian. Arret's solar system is based on Earth's, including most of the planets being named after gods. The destroyed Alphatian home world now occupies where the asteroid belt is. The other planets are named Aedrie, Pholtus, Eldath, Mystra, Shar, Hanali, Auril, and lastly Specter in order from Celestian. Arret is the third from the sun.

The sword is a potent weapon of the Celestian faith.

The Wanderer has a tiller, so it doesn't have a helm wheel. The sails it would use are also triangular in shape; instead of the square ones used more common vessels. All part of the different philosophy of ship construction used in Zakhara. Their ships are designed more for costal voyages, rather then crossing the open sea.

A barijah is the type of ship the Wanderer is. Fisherman, pearl divers, and those who travel between islands would typically use it. But then again, the Wanderer is not a typical barijah...

Now what?

[Yusef]

Yusef:

Advancing toward the strange gap in the deck, Yusef looks carefully, first at the slit, then at the Sapphire Sword in his hand. His head swivels between the two several times, considering. The growing glow from the Sword seems to imply a connection between the two.

With a shrug and a quick prayer to Celestian, Yusef takes one last scan about the area, then slides the Sapphire Sword into the slot.
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You're right, it's certainly the shortest I've seen you post!

I figured the sword would fit in the slot, but didn't want to just assume.

Thanks for the background info. I should probably have Yusef gain some Astronomy skill, as it would certainly fit his faith. Hadn't really thought about that before, so missed it in character creation.

[GM Mad]

Post Closed

And an explanation:

When Yusef departed New Frontiers, his solo explots were originally done by PM's. During the previous posts it was noted that there is only so much space to save mails and we wanted to be able to go back to the older posts.

To this end, I made the web based forum posting pages to simulate the look of the forum. I used the same formate for the Qlink Reposts site, but they were made for Yusef posts originally.

When we upgraded to the new forum, it became possible to have a forum and hide it from other members, even Administrators! And so the Yusef Solos material was continued here on the forum, starting with Yusef #5.

All the previous posts were done by PM and then later added to these threads.