Chapter 058: Across the Golden Gulf

[Gamemaster]

Sahra turned in her sleep, taking with her the final slice of blanket covering Ya'qub. After a few moments the sleeping merchant stirred and sat up, his feet dangling from the bunk. Early though it was, Ya'qub's gap-toothed grin already graced his face. He had yet to become accustomed to the cooler, moisture-laden air, and he breathed it in deeply as he stretched and yawned. Hopping down he wavered momentarily as the ship dipped and rolled and then throwing a robe over his shoulders he opened the door and stepped out into the predawn darkness. Tight sails full and straining bore the Bright Dancer southeasterly across the Golden Gulf.

"You are just in time Master Ya'qub," Shabab Eblis called over his shoulder from his position at the tiller. Beside him stood a young sailor, younger yet than Shabab who though taller than most men on the ship was not yet twenty. "Hold this course Maher." With that the Rubban strode up to Ya'qub and led him down the steps to the deck below. It was wet with sea spray and scattered with ropes and sleeping men.

As they approached the port side railing, Waleed emerged from below decks, large tome in one hand, lantern in another. He extinguished the light and joined them. Exchanging greetings the three of them turned their attention on the sunrise. It rose above a horizon that's only blemish was the fading stars.

"We're making good time," Shabab commented, interrupting the private thoughts of his companions. "With no cargo we fly as the winged fish!" A moment's pause. "We will need supplies from somewhere along the coast, for should Fate grant us every favorable wind, current and tide we should still arrive in no less than thirty days."

Across the deck, Haroun finished his prayers and stood. When he joined them they were discussing ports of call within the League of the Pantheon.

"Fahhas, City of Searching is the nearest," the rubban Shabab was saying. He nodded a greeting toward the tall faris and continued: "A day's sail south is I'tiraf, City of Confessions. I dare not take us beyond I'tiraf provisioned as we are."

High above them all, Keesha clung to the rigging. She couldn't hear the conversation below but was too occupied to be concerned with such mundane matters. She'd insisted on taking a turn at the watch, even though there were more than enough crewmen around. The chance to reel in the winds with Eakon was not to be missed. Her delight had been tainted however, by the flashes of darkness just below the waves that seemed to be shadowing the boat. Now, as the sun's rays shot over the horizon they were nowhere to be seen.

[Gamemaster]

Shabab hailed a crewman. "Saqir! Hurry to my cabin and bring back the map I have spread open on the table." The rubban then grabbed another passing crewman and ordered him to relieve Maher.

"Maher, give him the tiller and brew us some of your coffee! I swear that bony old cook could keep a crew alive on a two beans and a handful of dates, but his coffee is no better than rainwater."

[maher]

Maher rushed up with a small smile, a pot full of coffee and some cups on a tray. "Hope my coffee tastes better then rainwater, rubban!"

[Gamemaster]

"Oh!" the rubban started, surprised to see the young sailor back so soon. "Already had a pot on the stove I see. Well, perhaps your reputation as a fast study and trustworthy youth will yet prove true."

[Gamemaster]

"Master Ya'qub," the rubban asked as he handed the ship owner a steaming cup of coffee, "where shall we resupply?"

[Waleed Ibn Alurah]

Seeing that the master of the ship was in deep thought and Waleed was very tired from his night long studies, he spoke up to expedite the decision, "If I may be selfish, I could use a break. The sea, although very beautiful, is not for me, or at least I have not become accustomed to it yet. I would like to stop in both Fahhas and I'tiraf and do some sightseeing. What supplies we cannot find in Fahhas, we could try to find in I'tiraf so we would not need to backtrack." Waleed rubbed his bloodshot eyes but behind them was a faint glimmer of satisfaction. His studies had not been in vain and he could feel the newfound knowledge there as if it had always been. There was a new confidence in his smile, but not overbearing or arrogant lest he incur the evil eye. "The decision is yours master Ya'qub, I trust your lead." Waleed then walked way to join his harem for an early morning... nap.

[Ya'qub]

jchalder said:

The decision is yours master Ya'qub, I trust your lead." Waleed then walked way to join his harem for an early morning... nap.

Stifling a yawn, the balding caravaneer replied, "Hmm, yes, perhaps a little shore leave might be good..."

[ooc: I'm still away, but we do have limited access...]

[Keesha]

Touching Eakon's head, she speaks softly for him "Watch the surroundings my love, specially the water..I need to speak with them for a while". Then she reopens her eyes only to have them glaze. Smiling, she moves down the boat. "Seems we are making progress my friends. Are we stopping anywhere nearby soon?"

then she turns around to the sea and gesticulates without speaking, her voice sounding inside Yaqub, Waleed and Haroun - not wishing to scare any of the newcomers.

"Something strange happened last night, I saw some shadows underwater. I cannot say whether we are being followed or if it is just something that lives around here but we should be very carefull."

Then she turns back to the group and speaks to the captain, softly "I take you are familiar with the dangers of this waters my friend, could you tell us a bit a about what lurks around here, just to be prepared in case it is needed?"

[Gamemaster]

"Esteemed Keesha," Shabab bowed without taking his eyes from the sorceress. His smile betrayed an awkwardness around members of the fairer sex. "Good morning. These waters are the safest of all Zakhara's seas. How much that eases your mind depends on your knowledge of the other seas!"

"All manner of mystery lies shrouded in the depths of the Golden Gulf. Only the bravest, foolish, or pursued sail beyond sight of the shores." He rose and swept his arm along the horizon. "Thus most trade is plied along the coasts, where danger wears a comprehendable face-corsairs who haunt the lagoons and isles-not the dripping nightmares who rise from the darkness to leave their wet tracks across the deck as they steal away the unwary watchman."

Turning to stare down into the dark water, the young captain concluded: "Tonight we post a double watch."

[Gamemaster]

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Shabab said, "I need to plot our course to Fahhas, City of Searching."

[maher]

Maher felt a cold chill. '' I feel a storm a brew'in" Maher turned to the captain, "Shabab could I take control of the ship for a while, or should I ask Ya'qub?''

[Gamemaster]

Shabab paused and glanced over his shoulder, suprised at the request. "Neither. Come with me and learn how to read sea charts. As for a storm, you are mistaken."

[maher]

'' Hmmm " Maher muttered, Maher followed Shabab,
disappointed that he wont be able to sail the great ship.

[Gamemaster]

PCs
Haroun the faris
Keesha the sorceress
Maher the sailor
Waleed the scholar
Ya'qub the merchant
Saqir the sailor(?)

NPCs
Sahra - Ya'qub's wife
Eakon - Keesha's familiar
Mamoun - Waleed's servant
Jaheira, Wudei'a, Najiba - Waleed's bodyguards

Notable crew
Rasool
Yameena
Galeel
--

The women's screams cut through the conversation, killing it faster than an executioner's sword silences the pleas of the condemned. The sun had set on another delightful day and Haroun had been explaining the realities of life in the Cities of the Pantheon; common knowledge for some, a mystery for others.

"The League of the Pantheon, or the Pantheist League, is a cluster of cities on the Crowded Sea and along the eastern side of the Golden Gulf, backed by the mountain ranges of Al-Akara and Al-Sayaj. These cities share a common outlook above and beyond that of other cities paying ultimate creed to the Grand Caliph.

Pantheists recognize only five gods; Hajama, Kor, Najm, Selan, and a local deity named Jauhar (whom Pantheists consider a major god). Within these cities - Fahhas, Hilm, Hudid, I'tiraf, Mahabba, and Talab - the worship of other gods is forbidden. According to Pantheists, only the five deities of the Pantheon (there are other Zakharan deities worshipped in other cities) deserve the worship of civilized men and women. These are the gods whose priests first swore allegiance to the Law of the Loregiver. All other deities are "latecomers." This conservative religious belief is the force that binds the Pantheist cities into a cohesive whole - into a refuge for "those who know the truly enligthened gods."

Politics and religion are tightly interwoven in the Pantheist League. The church is powerful, and secular leaders are often religious leaders as well. Staunchly moralist, Pantheists are almost hidebound in their traditional values. The traditions of the past guide their actions in the future. That which is new is deemed dangerous, and that which is different is suspicious. Both men and women cover their faces in public and conceal the shape of their bodies beneath billowing robes, lest the sight of the opposite sex cause anyone's thoughts to stray from the moral path. Apparently, this system works well for the Pantheist League cities, for they are successful and prosperous. Unlike the Free Cities of Northern Zakhara, the closely knit Pantheist communities are not hindered by continual efforts to conspire against each other in petty wars. And unlike the Pearl Cities, the cities of the Pantheon have fewer beggars and impoverished citizens on their streets.

The Pantheist League does engage in trade, but much of that trade may need to be done through intermediaries. Among the products that attract outside attention are the crystal and glassware available in I'tiraf, glass lenses, telescopes, and books found in Hudid, and the fine medical knowledge to be had in Talab.



During this conversation, the majority of the crew went about its work, much of which was unfathomable to those whose life had been spent in the desert. One of Shabab's handpicked crew held the tiller steady; the stunning beauty Yameena with her long black hair flowing freely in the wind. She'd made no effort to conceal her disdain for the Pantheist league, spitting at every mention of the name. "And I'll not set foot in that sullen joyless city," she'd called out. "Disfigurement and torture await any who transgress the Law of the Loregiver!"

A group of four women had sat amidships, away from the others, engaged in various mundane activities. Jaheira and Najiba mending Waleed's robes and polishing his sword; Wudei'a kindly combing Sahra's hair and singing with a heretofore unheard voice that rivaled any Waleed had heard in any palace.

Wudei'a's songs blanketed the ship with a serenity that turned more than one hardened sailor's thoughts back toward childhood within a loving mother's embrace.

Rasool, Galeel and Mamoun were three such men, (though Mamoun was not a sailor and not yet a
man) and had Waleed seen the look on his servant's face he'd have been quite alarmed. But so engaged in their work or conversation, few had noticed the other voices joining in harmony with Wudei'a. Voices that were carried on the wind.

Keesha awakened moments before the screams, Eakon's beak beating an urgent rhythm into her
dreams of tall towers in faraway cities; towers filled with shadows and footsteps that echoed in empty halls.

As the screams rose, so too did the melody on the wind. Something winged and dark flapped above a struggling Wudei'a, trying to lift her from the deck and into the darkness of the night.

Valiantly, Sahra grasped the terrified girl as Jaheira and Najiba leaped to their feet to attack.
--

OOC: all male PCs need to make a saving through against their best cliché. The Target Number is
a GM secret... please send it to me before posting a response, because the outcome of the save will affect your choice of actions. ~michael

[Keesha]

Jumping quickly on her feet she tries to have a quick assesment on the situation. She has read before about this creatures on the sea, as well as knows some of the charm spells she learn as young come out of the research of them.

Somehow she always laughed playfully at the fact that they always needed magic to work out their charms.

Realizing that she will have to wait a bit to see the response of her friends, she turns her priority into helping Wudei'a. Petting Eakons head she smiles at him and whispers "time to try out what we practice before my love"

then she murmurs an enchantment softly and sends Eakon toward the creature, approaching it from behind so that he is not noticed.