Session #48: Quest for the Ghar

Some (foolish philosophers!) say the world is borne from each of its four corners on the back of a great chlen-beast, and that these tread together across the shell of the cosmic-ghar.

Well, the great shells that were borne into Cothon over the last couple days were certainly no cosmic shells, yet nevertheless, their values, and the tales of those who claimed them, were all quite stellar!

It has been about a month since Lars Fangripper put out a call for fellow barbarian-adventurers to join him in a grand hunt, a "vision quest" put to him by his mystical ancestors, and to seek out the bounty offered on the great river ghars that troubled the land of the Iqta' al Tolwani. Finally, his calls were answered, and by a veritably motley crew! After expressing interest in the quest, one Bartholomew Pettibone was able to help Lars gather everyone together at the great tavern Cothon-Under-Star, and there plan just how they would seek--and claim!--the proffered bounty.

After long discussions on possible techniques, and the inclusion of the Kzin Hero Seeker-for-Relics (famed for his recent victory in the Coreguyi Arena), as well as the chameleonic hunter Slith Sly in their number, the company thence set out west--quite a different direction from any expedition yet--and so made their way through the Klackon side of Cothon and out the Klackon Gate, to then follow the "Western" Road south along the right bank of the Gana Delta.

The members were as follows:

• Lars Fangripper (magic-user 3)
  accompanied by Slith Sly (Sakkra)
• Bartholomew Pettibone (magic-user 5)
  accompanied by Gan ad-Din (fighting-man 4)
• Mara (magic-user 2)
• Heijo (magic-user 3)
• Dehuhada (fighting-man 4)
  accompanied by Seven-Toes (renyu)
• Seeker-for-Relics (Kzin 2)
• and with a brief guest-appearance by Elfo (? magic-user ?)

Knowing their goal (the Iqta' al Tolwani) lay at least two days' travel southwest, and then northwest, it was no surprise to the regulars Under-Star that the intrepid company had not returned by the first evening. But what was exciting was the appearance, two days later, of a great ghar shell borne to the Klackon Gate by river-panga, and escorted into town by Seven-Toes in company of Bolor the Ferryman, who had negotiated for such transport for a mere 100 dinars!

And what tales he told with his payout!--of a great battle on the shores of the river, between heroes and ghar--and the ghar is a great armored monster, clad in the huge shell you see here, but armed with a long clubbed tail, and worse! with three mouths at the ends of long tentacles that issue from its armored mouth to snap and grab at its prey with razor-sharp beaks! And with much twanging of crossbow, and hewing of pollaxe, this beast was laid low, a barbecue set on the beach, and many mouths fed, while here now the shell is to be held Under-Star for the heroes' return.

But it would be another couple days before any further word came of the company's fate ... in the meantime, and impressionistic drawing of the evening approach to the lonely castle of the Iqta' al Tolowani, with a ghar swimming up through the river in the bottom right corner. The islands and broad water at top imply nearness to the sea, but such is the illusion cast by the broad waters of the Delta ...

The great sun sets behind Tolwan's tower

But indeed, two days hence, the company returned, borne on the boats of iqtadar Tolwan himself, and bearing with them not just two further great ghar shells, nacre shining from within, but also strange tokens of the "haunted" island on which they had sought their quarry.

While Bart was happily spinning yarns about the legend of Lars (postponing meetings with gemcutters, apparently), while Lars obsessed over the strange red helm he had found, and the others seeing to the sale of the ghar-shells, Seeker took his share to the Herm & Stone and spun his own tale of the expedition's happenings:

"Tolwan, weak and dejected because of his weakness, saw not our strength, but allowed us to traipse over his lands as if we were better--and we were! And so we went to the so-called 'haunted' island where the ghars laired, and there my companions dug out pits in their apish obsession with 'tricks and traps'. But when the hour came, and the ghar was before us, Lars proved himself leonine--he leaped on the back of the female, and with his own soft monkey-nails killed the beast! A fine ape to show 'scream and leap', if any is! I  After that we descended into the tombs of the isle, and battled a great demon! Again with their tricks, the apes all threw dust or water at the invisible fiend, but I stood against it, halberd-to-wtsai!"

And reproduced here, for the interest of those following such things, is a trace of the company's short travels:

Anyway, hereafter follows the haul:

The Lucre

• 2000 dinars (gp), 2000 dirhams (sp), 1000 fals (cp)
• 3000 dinars from ghar shells x3 (1@1400, 1@1200, 1@400)
• 175 dinars from 2 gems (1@100, 1@75)
• a strange red helm
• a halberd forged of an unknown dark metal (alloy?)

The Learning

• 5385 xp from treasure
• 1306 xp from ghars x3 (400 + hp ea.)
• 164 xp from tsoggu (150 + hp)
• 497 xp from qumqum (450 + hp)
• 100 xp to each character for explorations along the Gana Delta

The Cut

• 708 dinars to each player-character and Seeker
  356 dinars to Gan ad-Din, Elfo, and Slith Sly
  69 dinars to Seven-Toes
• 1470 xp to each player-Character
  735 xp to Seeker, Gan ad-Din, Elfo, and Slith Sly
• the helm
• and the halberd

Any gold-valued item a party-member wishes to claim may be "bought out" by subtracting its value from their share of gold (up to and including their own funds, if necessary to equal its listed value); non-valued items must be meted out by the company's agreement, according to negotiations and what seems fair.

And as always, any write-ups, artwork, etc. representing the expedition from an in-character point-of-view will earn the corresponding player-character 100 xp per level.