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--- al-qadim:diary [2020-11-07 16:47] – [The Tale of the Forced Surrender] sandra
+++ al-qadim:diary [2020-11-22 18:27] – Magarib www-data
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 of the city is carried by the acolytes themselves, who are too lazy to
 keep track of the marids and the waves.
+## Magarib 22
+### The Tale of the Entombed Saint
+Saint Sheeda min-Hakiyah lead the ships to port. This is well known to
+Gavlan and the queen, for the two of them have tended their lives to
+be close friends. Gavlan is a great merchant, and purveyor of the
+queen's favourite kind of wine. The first event of the day was a
+routine call made by the Ramelan merchant. The queen had come to the
+city to see her children, with the goal of seeing the children's
+gardens and the royal palaces. She had been told by her father that
+she should go to watch the children's gardens on her own. The merchant
+said: "The queen is coming."
+"The next morning, the ship was turned back, and when the sailing
+vessel had been brought up, I told the captain that I wanted to free
+him from the hold."
+I laid hold on him, and when the ship was about to be set on its way,
+I said: "Why don't you go off with the captain and tell him that, when
+he was off, I was going to get him killed." ""I don't know where he is
+going," he said, "but I shall go with him."
+He then drew his sword and attacked me, and when he had cut off my
+head with a knife, I threw him on to the mast where he cut off his
+head. Then, as I was lying on top of him, I jumped off from him and
+ran off, with the flags of all the Pearl Cities flying above me. Then,
+when I had gone, I walked up to the captain and said: "I am Sheeda."
+"Tell me," he said.
+"I have been told," said Sheeda, "that the Zakharans are our friends
+and that you have brought us here." "By God," said the captain, "I
+have nothing to do with that. I am a stranger, but I have heard from
+you that it is the Zakharans who brought us here." "Where are the
+boatmen," she asked, "and where have they come from?" "From what land
+have they come," he answered, and when she asked where they were to be
+found, he said: "The great city of Huzuz."
+Saint Sheeda min-Hakiyah lead the ships to port, and then, when the
+ship is the color of the sun, they sail by the shore.
+When the ships are out of the harbor, she is seated on the
+teak-throne, and when the ship is on the caliph's coast, she walks in
+procession with a cup of wild figs in her hand.
+She walks next to the shore, where she stops and is joined by the
+princess, who sits down by her bed, as does Sheeda "Amakim before the
+caliph." The first princess sits down beside Sheeda, and he begins to
+talk to her like a spokesman for his father. When he has finished, he
+is joined by the caliph. His father is sitting on the throne, and
+Heidar is standing beside him, while the princess sits beside him. She
+doesn't see any difference between the two of them, but Sheeda thinks
+so as well.
+### The Tale of the Wave Axe
+A weapon of fey. The name speaks for the specific unit of those who
+lost it; for example, it is called the Wave Axe, or a name in the old
+tongue that meant "wavecutter" among the Princes of Air.
+The Wave Axe in the hands of a master, when in the spite of the fact
+that a servant of the god of the sea is not a wizard, the god of the
+sea is more powerful.
+In the wildlands, occasionally, the adventurer may encounter an
+imprisoned nocturnal monstrous creature that may be a djinni, a
+madman, a savage sailor, or a vile halfling, depending on the type of
+terrain.
+### The Tale of the Demon's Ending
+Acererak's armor of demon leather is unbreakable, and it is fully
+enchanted to resist pain; transferring the pain to the armor, which
+screams for every hit.
+The armor is the only thing that the kahina wears that is more stylish
+than an armored figure-head, and it is the only thing that the weary
+traveller wears that is more sophisticated than a rutted dress. The
+armor is also made by the efreet Gullog. The armor is said to have
+been made long after the reign of the great Queen, and this is
+truthfully so, for the armor was made very long ago by the old abbot
+of Al-Kulmoth, an efreet.
+The armor was made in tribute to Acererak from the skin of a leprous
+demon. The armor is studded with pale slivers of demon horn.
+An ancient, but well-honed, device.
+## Magarib 23
+### The Tale of the Blinding Tomb
+The tomb of blinding light,
+meeting with the two eyes of the dark stone.
+My heart is full of sorrow;
+My eye is quick at its light
+while my eye is jealously guarded.
+My eyes are shut, but the darkness is there;
+I do not see, but my heart is on fire.
+My heart is heavy, and my mouth is dry.
+My eyes are heavy, and my mouth is dry.
+Behold, my heart is heavy;
+My heart is on fire.
+My eyes are closed, but my heart is not.
+The tomb of blinding light
+that is all around us.
+We see the white sea;
+and we know neither of the land nor of the sea.
+The land is in the daytime,
+and the sea is at night.
+The amorous glance is the most fortunate glance;
+it is the tear of the eye that is most delightful.
+When night cuts in, the moon shines.
+The moon is the only thing that has not been dyed,
+and it is the only thing that has not been guarded.
+If anything is to be had,
+it is in the moon that is to be had.
+The moon shines, but it is not moved;
+The sun, however, is moved.
+If we meet a lover through the moonlight,
+We find that we have been met by one of the sweetest of souls.
+The door of the tomb of bright in the dark.
+The masked woman was a tall, fair,
+obedient and self-possessed woman.
+Yoking the veil of the night to her brow.
+The house was a small palace, set on a plateau, the door of which was
+carved with a single word: "Frotz" in the tongue of the old ones.
+Don't doubt it, O caliph.
+Houses of the dead are not built and their foundations do not hold
+water.
+### The Tale of the Membrane Slivers
+The coins of the old ones are lost. These are the coins of the old
+rulers:
+The finest of them are the twenty-five of a knife's edge, and they
+were given to the royal family by the dweller in the dark.
+A great number of these coins have the face of Umar the Wise with two
+white wings; on the left wing is a stand of heavy gold; on the right
+is a stand of silver.
+The coins of the old ones are in perfect condition. They are thin and
+dry membranes, and the edges are sharp and hard.
+The name is like a rooster's tatters, but it is written in the
+letterforms of a bee's wing. It is one of the names of the dawning. It
+is a true name, for it means: "No shadow of the great one is left on
+the eve of the great night."
+"By my liver," he added, "this is a tale to be told of good fortune.
+It is a story of the noble and the wicked, of the law and the infidel.
+It is a tale of the desert and the cities. It is a tale of evil and
+good fortune."
+He then asked me to go on my way, and I agreed, and after that I
+stayed in the city for five months. I was in great advantage of the
+knowledge I gained in that period. I was in a study, which was built
+of stone and marble, and there was a handful of coins of the old ones,
+And those of the new ones, have been been given to the fisherman, who
+has been brought up in the way of the Islands of the Utter South, is a
+proverb.
+If you are a blacksmith, your coins are placed on the mantle of the
+father of the blacksmith, and set on the mantle of the master of the
+blacksmith.
+If you are a merchant, your coins are placed on the plate of the
+merchant, who has been brought up in the way of the Crowded Sea.
+If you are a dweller, your coins are placed on the plate of the
+dweller, who has been brought up in the maggot-ridden stone of the
+Underdark.
+The coins of the old ones were of four colors: fuligin, gloxyn, grue
+and hooloovoo: the fifth was called "the ulfire coin," the sixth, "the
+jale crown;" the seventh, "the smaudre crown"; the eighth, "the
+octarine crown".
+The coins of the old ones have been worn and worn now, their colors no
+longer visible to hedge mages and their detect rituals, and are only
+within the power of the one who worshipped them.
+### The Tale of the Spined Lions
+The pair of masticores in the dark are both related to the
+old-fashioned guards of the palace. The masticore is the quartermaster
+of the guard.
+The masticore before he found the way of the quill was a handsome man.
+He appeared to be in his forties or fifties, and wore a clean white
+shirt, and a cloak and a hood. His dark blue eyes were luminous, but
+he doesn't speak unless he is talking to someone.
+He is a masticore, a merchant of great ability, wealth, and skill.
+The sages, however, say that there is no reward beyond the reward
+given to the sorcerer for his magic.
+They also say that the sorcerer's gift is not a reward for an
+operation but rather a payment for the masterwork. They seek to clear
+away the characters who wish to see the mage.
+The pair of masticores are doing their best to hide their true nature.
+The masticore's skin is pale brown-green, its eyes are blue, and its
+bite is a venomous, eight-pointed white. The shell is a mixture of
+water, sand, and dust, encased in a soft, fibrous shell. The shell is
+also covered with a small, soft, metal mesh which keeps the
+masticore's skin tight.
+## Magarib 24–25
+### The Tale of the Crimson Blasphemy
+The unspeakable rites of blood are that of the Chant and the Unholy.
+The ritual requires a gleaming black and white stone, the same that is
+used to mark the entrance to the palace. It is used to draw the arcane
+ward of the abjurer, and the ritual results in the scorching of the
+skin and the burning of the eyes of the victim. The skin burns for an
+indefinite period of time, and then both the victim and the ward are
+consumed. The dead are visited by the spirit of the victim as a
+servant. The ward immediately kills the victim, which leaves the
+waiting for the ritual to complete. The victim is usually a man or a
+woman.
+A man in a dark blue satin robe, with a sturdy head and a broad
+forehead, and a pair of wavy black eyes. Large are the ears and large
+the ears of the man. His head is of an elephant's neck, and his mouth
+is like a lion's.
+The unspeakable rites of blood may be performed the lives of the
+monstrosity are a dark and terrible to the end. The vampires are free
+to roam and hunt of their own volition.
+The unspeakable rites of blood outdo the sacred silence. “We are your
+family. We are your friends. We are your concubines. We are your
+children. We are your children, your servants. We are your servants.”
+The moth's voice was deep and clear, a voice that had no echo in the
+land beyond its borders.
+“Speak again.”
+The moth spoke again, and his voice was more clear than the voice of a
+man who has long ago been heard.
+“Speak again, when I have healed you.”
+The moth didn't move. He seemed to be fixed in the middle of his air,
+his wings flapping cast strobing shadows.
+“Speak again, that you may heal me.”
+The moth spoke, and his voice was more clear and awe-inspiring.
+“Speak again.”
+The month spoke again, and his voice was more clear and tense than the
+voice of a woman.
+### The Tale of the Gelatinous Cube
+The gelatinous cube is a perfect example of this platonic solid. It is
+a highly prized item, which is used to create the finest and
+best-preserved beads of nourishment and refreshment. They are the most
+expensive materials in the land of Zakhara. The monks of the Grand
+Caliph are comprised of al-Badia, a genie of the Great Sea, and the
+holy slayers of the Golden Horde. The slayers have potions of farmyr,
+a potent herb that cures disease. The Shard of the Crowded Sea is a
+great jewel, used to create the finest and best-preserved jewelry. It
+is often referred to as the jewel of civilization. The Shard of the
+Crowded Sea is a powerful weapon; its enchantment allows it to create
+a permanent ring of protection from magical attacks. It is also the
+only weapon that can repel a spell, and the only weapon able to
+The gelatinous cube was part of a tutor's cutting-edge research
+project on materials. The gelatinous cube, also known as the Shaping
+Cube, is a diabolical artifact that was stolen from The Shaping Cube
+is a cube of the shade-dappled metal known as the Shard. It is used to
+conjure spells from the djinni-possessed sha'ir.
+As a focus of true, worshipping magic, the Shaping Cube is a powerful,
+albeit cumbersome, device.
+The gelatinous cube has three faces, one small, the second large, and
+the third is the same.
+### The Tale of the Anguish Staff
+A kahina staff of healing, and the wood to make it can only be cut
+with a jade knife. The staff of healing is called the staff of anguish
+because it takes on the anguish and pain of the people it heals. It
+bears the suffering in their place.
+Recovering from a sword strike or dagger blow, the staff is struck by
+a weapon as though with a quiver. The staff then fills with a liquid,
+creating a pool of it that allows the staff to attack with greater
+force.
+The staff is not honed by the weapon's wielder, but the staff's misery
+allow it to convert the magical energies into physical components.
+The blood splatters are mildly nauseating, but they are not lethal.
+A kahina staff of healing and protection helps protect against disease
+and healing, resisting the influence of the Evil Eye. The sickness is
+brought upon the staff instead. The staff takes the sickness from the
+patients upon itself to carry it.
+## Magarib 25
+### The Tale of the Unforgettable Eye
+The unforgettable eye of Xorn has become a great thing. The eye is the
+only eye that has never been seen before. It has no name, or any
+description that it has spoken. It is not a living being, but forms an
+intelligent being. The eye is a power of the living. It is the only
+power that can help the party. It is a powerful spell, used to itself
+to create a living eye. There is no known example of a creature that
+is immune to the eye's effects, and, if the creature is the eye's
+host, it will still be affected by the eye's spell power.
+The eye can create a single eye, or a series
+of eyes.
+The unforgettable eye of Xorn is my eye;
+I see neither matter nor form.
+I see only the sight of the beloved,
+And the heart of the heart.
+I am the light into which
+the heart is drawn.
+I am the sun which is opened;
+The moon which is opened through the web.
+I am the moon which is the bride of the dove.
+The unforgettable eye of Xorn is the ancient marble that bakes each
+night. A caliph once told the sages that this stone is the source of
+God's power, and the next day the Caliph ordered the stone to be
+quarried.
+Xorn's name was a matter of conjecture, until a halfling emir showed
+him the stone and fancied that it was a powerful spell working in the
+direction of the Veins of the Earth. The emir used the item to hope to
+find a way to open a gate and get the items he sought, but he
+discovered that the wall around the tower was too thick and had no
+further use, save as a conduit by which to dispose of the stone.
+### The Tale of the Larval Innkeep
+Hanna's parents died when she was young and in their place
+she took over the family inn.
+She has a large following among the sailors of Safaq, and her inn has
+been associated with them for many years. She has a reputation for her
+wit and intelligence. She has an excellent relationship with the
+villagers.
+She was still under the spell of her mother's magic
+She was the younger daughter of a merchant who was a trusted adviser
+to her father. This merchant, Hanna's mother, Shirazad, had once been
+a proud and powerful woman of the royal court.
+Mutated beyond recognition she was torn to shreds by her fellow moths.
+### The Tale of the Blood Moth
+To call the Blood Moth unnatural would be a misconception. The Blood
+Moth is as natural as death itself. It is cruel, it is remorseless,
+and it is brutally destructive. These things are in its nature.
+Its life cycle occurs over the course of many eons and across
+interstellar distances:
+. The first stage is the death of a planet. An Egg is planted within
+   the dying world, and becomes a portal to the next planet to be
+   devoured.
+. The Larva emerges on the next planet and feasts upon its
+   inhabitants before forming a chrysalis suspendend in the sea of
+   blood.
+. Once the metamorphosis is complete, the Moth emerges and finds a
+   new world to devour somewhere else in the cosmos. A psychic tether
+   is established between the two planets and a new Egg is planted
+   within the previous drowned world to act as a gateway through which
+   anonther Larva can be born to devour the next planet.
+How long this abberant cycle of rebirth has been happening, is
+unknowable, as is the number of worlds that the Blood Moth has
+destroyed this way.
+## Magarib 26 to Gammam 1
+### The Tale of the Best Friends
+Hidi, the desert rider, is a kind-hearted man of understanding and
+daring. He is Aman's most devoted friend. The sha'ir is a substitute
+for the desert rider. She and Hidi have a mutual friendship. They are
+not related by blood. The sha'ir is a member of the court of Efreets.
+The desert rider is an ordinary Son of the Wolf. He is a warrior and a
+descendant of the legendary hero Tarkash. The sha'ir is a master of
+the magical arts.
+A desert rider and a sha'ir who are best friends. Their relationship
+is so close that they are even sometimes called "brother" and
+"sister". Despite their close friendship, the two never share much
+that is a secret.
+The desert has a reputation for being a magical place.
+### The Tale of the Four Tables
+The House of Dhi'b had been pitched near the shore of a great sea, and
+the Sheikh's messenger told them to go to the palace.
+The House of Dhi'b, a traveller years ago, in a land far beyond the
+Mountains of the Loregiver. The House has long been a home of the
+monk. The monks are considered a leading force in the civilization of
+the High Desert, and when the dao Ajayib in 1054, they captured the
+citadel and brought the monastics to the palace, where they were held
+prisoner for nearly a decade.
+The House of Dhi'b has four tables, different in size. The table for
+the food, for the drink, for the ceremony, and for the unspeakable
+power.
+### The Tale of the Rival Clan
+Rival clans of al-Badia are always welcome guests, as long as the
+guest is serious.
+The guest is asked to stand in a circle at a small table between two
+heaps of stones. The guest is then given a cloak so that he can see
+the wooden table. The guest stands up and the guest is asked to raise
+his hand to the table. The guest must be a member of the opposite clan
+to win the favor of al-Badia.
+Rival clans of al-Badia run the houses of the temples, each strong
+enough to fight its own kindred.
+It is said that only the strong, the brave, and the strong-hearted are
+chosen to manage the temples.