Regarding Najm: Some Housekeeping

A few items of note that Najm ibn Marwan and crew have been up to in the last year.

In a recent session, which was actually backdated to the beginning of this lunar year, Najm transported a company of individuals to the city of Ittiyqa, some of whom would partake in the Zihuitlani Games there. Overcome by the glint of dinars, Najm allowed himself to be talked into supporting Gan ad-Din's entrance into the Games with 1000 dinars towards Gan's entrance fees--despite Najm's personal reservations about the nature of the Games. Once the Games began, he remembered his scruples and was sick with giving money toward them, even if Gan and his fellows were gracious victors.

Najm received 1080 dinars (so far) in return for his support. Remembering his scruples, he has devoted all of that money to charitable donations. Five hundred and twenty dinars (520) were spent on manumission for slaves from the slave market of Cothon. This would free 13 slave laborers, the worst-treated of all slaves; any with an inclination for work on ships would be invited to join his crews for pay.

The remaining five hundred and sixty (560) dinars would be spent in a great fish-and-crab feed at Fahra's Hole-in-the-Wall down in the harbor, for the poor especially, but not turning anyone away.

Both of these actions would have occurred some time in February, probably, after the return to Cothon from Ittiyqa.

In August, the keel was laid for Najm's new ship, the Rihha, a fast-sailing vessel, with financial help from Sesel and with a bronze figurehead cast in the image of a rihha-sro that Najm and company defeated some time ago in a strange place.

The Rihha was finished in October and has been undergoing her sea trials in the intervening months. She will be ready for a maiden voyage seeking the strange lost city of Babilar by next week, as noted in Najm's call to adventure. With two mates and two ships, it's time to promote one to captain of Saint Iskameen; and Najm has elected Alianor Drake as captain of the Saint Iskameen, while retaining Fa Mei as his own first mate on the Rihha. Allie (Alianor) is therefore free to choose her own first mate for her ship (still owned by Najm, of course).

Fa Mei is no doubt disappointed that she has not been selected as captain; as consolation for not getting her own ship, Najm suggests that she get a sword enchanted at the Ringing Anvil (for if she's his first mate, there will no doubt be adventures for her yet!).

Fa Mei has a chromium khopesh (damage 1d8+1), of which the metal chromium was noted by Durham as especially good for enchanting. Najm will pay 1500 dinars for the sword to be rehilted with something more distinctive of Fa Mei--she elects a basket hilt designed after a nautilus' shell, allowing her to strike with less worry over her own hand (+1 to hit).

And once the rehilting is finished, Fa Mei will have the sword enchanted at her own expense (2000 dinars) and with a Bani Dawr psioinc potion (given by Najm). Fa Mei has a high intelligence (15), and between that and the psionic potion, her sessions with Zaynab the Enchantress will focus on Fa Mei being able to predict an opponent's defensive moves, thus neutralizing the protective bonus of an opponent's shield or defensive technique (yes, Fa Mei has also heard of Sesel's famed ability to parry nearly anything!); i.e. it would become a Khopesh +1, negates shield OR defensive technique and allows the wielder to strike an opponent as if they have no shield, or as if they are not using a defensive technique.

[if this ability is too much, the Scribes allow that perhaps Fa Mei needs to have spent more, or to reword the enchantment of her sword]

It will be up to Durham and his Ringing Anvil to determine how much time this takes, from the first week of October (2023).

Najm has not been idle as he awaits his new ship being finished. He has been developing new spells, partially inspired by his reading of the Queen of Winds, and partially by his own calling of Saint Iskameen at the Battle of the Hastati Gate.

This involves the commission of an excellent new spellbook (scroll) of the finest hmelu parchment, inked with the finest inks from Heijo the Dyer's inkshop, and copying the ballad that Gan ad-Din penned, "Najm at the Hastati Gate" as well as some paeans and prayers to Saint Iskameen and her battle prowess and lance of lightning (a cost of 2500 dinars). It will contain the spells Call Lightning and Saint Iskameen's Might.

The details of the spells are being worked out, but the results of his researches are as follows:

For Call Lightning 5 tick track (beginning week ending 9/9 to week ending 10/7):

1. 8 - success

2. 9 - success

3. 9 - success

4. 7 - success

5. 9 - success - 1500 dn altogether

For Saint Iskameen's Might a 6 tick track (beginning week ending 10/14 to week ending 12/9):

1. 6 – failure

2. 11 – success 1

3. 9 – success 2

4. 10 – success 3

5. 9 – success 4

6. 6 – failure

7. 8 – success 5

8. 6 – failure

9. 8 – success 6 – 2700 dn altogether

It has been noted that the second spell may be too weak as a fourth level spell, so negotiations over the particulars of that spell will continue, but Najm has successfully researched it, whatever the specifics, as well as having completed this spellbook, "Najm at the Hastati Gate".

Najm-Under-City and the Saint Iskameen

[written by me for Najm, regarding the recent expedition into Medina al Taht for 100 xp per level, as well as terms for hiring Najm's ship for short-term journeys--the terms below the (pre)ambling account]

The Preamble
I write here a draft of terms for the hire of my company and crew, the Confraternity of Saint Iskameen and my dhow, the Saint Iskameen, by those who frequent the harbor town of Cothon, or Mother-City Gadeed, with those barbarian-vagabonds with whom I am in frequent company most especially in mind.

It has been almost a month now since my jaunt up the coast, northeast, to see to my uncles and cousins in al Agadrein, and to show them the success I have come by (and my failures there, 'Issa knows); and even longer since I hired the ship to Sesel of the Survivors, to carry him to his new lands and the survey of his iqta'. And these things contributed to my thoughts now, but it was in conversation with Arngeir of the Green Gleam on a recent excursion into Medina al Taht that this conception really began to ferment.

Now, I was one of those who voiced interest in returning to the city-below when I fell in with the rowdy company at the Gatehouse, with the shouts and smells of the Souk al Samak mixing with the scents and conversation inside the tavern. I had--have--certain unfinished business "below", business that now necessitates my hire of sword-arms to protect my person and my ship, and which I would gladly have put behind me. Hence my vote to descend, and to present swords point-first to certain rough men who dwell in the forgotten vaults below the city-streets.

I suggested also to Durham of the Ringing Anvil, who is followed by a loyal renyu-servant, that we might negotiate common cause with the free renyu with whom I have had friendly run ins before--I have heard that Durham is a patron of some kind of enclave of renyu, and wondered if those below might fare better with that group than their current situation.

Anyway, we did all eventually descend into the city below; myself and hired-help Hry-Haya (an Alkari sage), Durham and Pako, the half-handed Gan ad-Din, uncanny sorceress Avin, and the quiet fighting-man Arngeir of the Green Gleam, in fine zortrium plate armor.

Despite my initial role in the direction of the expedition, I confess that I became distracted in the final clinch. The bandits whom I had hoped to see chastised--the gang of the crossed-swords--turned out to be more difficult a group than I had expected, associated as they were with certain monsters of men, veritable giants whose wounds healed miraculously. I, a humble fisherman, had little hope to stand against them toe-to-toe, and so I let Gan and Durham, experienced fighting-men both, take the lead.

Indeed, as those two led the main foray against the encampment of the crossed-swords, Arngeir and I stood watch at our party's escape route, ready to rush in if need be, or help clear the way in an emergency, and we fell to discussing the possibility of future joint ventures. You see, he is now the master of his own sailing vessel, and like me, is a scion of a clan of fishermen! Though he is far more learned than I, and too a doughty warrior, whereas I remain but a humble fisher.

Unfortunately, so excited was I in the prospects of expanding the Confraternity to a second ship so soon--if Arngeir is amenable, of course!--that I was quite surprised when a horrid abomination came shambling out of the darkness toward us, stinking of rotted flesh, feet slapping wetly as it came toward us. A tsoggu! I warned Arngeir to avoid its gaze, and we set to fight it, when a second appeared out of the shadows. Hry-Haya's quick thinking and magical talents created an illusion of us fleeing into the main encampment area, but only one of the wretched tsoggu followed after; and it was only after the arrival of our comrades out of the commotion that caused that we were able to dispatch the monster that had initially attacked us.

And what strange successes our comrades had made! Gan and Avin had distracted the entire gang with a swaggering performance by Gan, and the sorcerous strength of Avin--equally marvelous as the hulking giants of the bandit-gang; and while Avin arm-wrestled a giant, Durham and Pako had sneaked around and discovered a hidden entrance to some lower court of infamy--which will require another day of adventure to investigate. We also took a prisoner of one of the brutes, and retrieved an additional dose of some drug used by this gang, and which the alchemists of the Survivors of the Tel are already researching for me.

But as to the original purpose of this preamble, the terms for the hire of my ship:

Hiring the Saint Iskameen
The Saint Iskameen is a dhow, a small single-masted sailing ship with a hold that can carry 10,000# of goods--rather more capacity than I have yet had the good fortune to require!

As this is only a first draft (to be posted at Fara's Hole-in-the-Wall for perusal by those interested) I have not yet determined prices for much, but I much intend to expand the services offered by the Confraternity of Saint Iskameen as our possibilities expand.

For a short jaunt up the coast of no more than three days' travel (i.e. to Sesel's Iqta', or to the Roads)
        25 dinars flat, or
        5 dinars per head for parties numbering more than five

For a week's travel or more
        5 dinars per day, or
        1 dinar per day per head for parties numbering more than five

Calculated for all travel days in bad weather, running before a storm, or encountering pirates or hostile sea-creatures
        double the normal rate, calculated on a day-by-day basis