BACKGROUND

Ekbir

In 577CY, the legitimate dynasty of the Dezbat, one of the 15 provinces of Ekbir was replaced following an Ataphad attack led by Urik Ashir, of the Second House of Ashir. During this attack, Nerim Ashir of the First House of Ashir was killed with all his family, with the exception of his infant son, Lybak Ashir who was saved from the carnage by Sid-Allagh, the Faris of the wolf.

The latter was a member of the order of the Faris Rautha, or Gem Knights. This order, specific to Dezbat was founded a long time ago by Nimrod Ashir, then lord of Dezbat. He handed 12 magical gems to his 12 best warriors. These gems had the power to attach to the forehead of their owner, granting them great powers. Thus was born the Faris Rautha, because the warriors trained youths not only in the art of war, but thought them moral virtues and spiritual values of the faris, in the spirit of the Exalted Faith. Each of the 12 warriors developed a specific way of combat, symbolized by the 12 animals of the baklunish calendar : tiger, bear, lion, frog, turtle, fox, snake, boar, squirrel, hare, falcon and wolf.

The Faris Rautha were held responsible for the massacre of the First House of Ashir and Sid-Allagh accused of murdering Lybak, resulting in the dissolution of the order. Those members who had survived the Ataphad attack of 577CY were outlawed and hunted.

However, a secret society came into existence. Calling itself the Rautha Brotherhood, it gave itself the goal of restoring the order of the Faris Rautha by finding the 12 gems and finding new bearers to take on the roles of the 12 faris. One of the leaders of the brotherhood is Gebril Al Mofiss, encountered in EKB5-03 La Proie pour l’Ombre.

The Brotherhood managed to find one of the rare Faris Rautha still alive, the Faris of the Squirrel Uyok. Pursued by the Storm Riders of Urik Ashir, Uyok had to flee to Tusmit, with the help of the Faris Rautha. In order to pursue Uyok on Tusman soil, Urik Ashir made a deal with Pasha Muammar Quaran. In exchange, Urik Ashir promised he would call upon his friends to help the Pasha with the Udgru crisis. The mysterious Zeifian merchant, Faruk Al Tureim (see EKB4-01 Le Fugitif and VTF4-05 The Air Node) pleaded with the king of the Udgru bandit, known as the Black Knight, to make him attack the elves in the Tusman part of the Udgru, to prevent them from attacking Tusmit.

Fateful night

In 577CY during the attack of the Ataphads, 6 of the 12 Faris Rautha were at Nerim Ashir’s side : the Faris of the Bear (Erutuk), the Lion (Tehush), the Turtle (Zenitram), the Boar (Reshanok), the Falcon (Annom) and the Wolf (Sid-Allagh).

Annom was sent to ask Urik, Lord Nerim’s cousin. But he was found dead between the two forts.

Tehush, Zenitram and Reshanok died heroic deaths, overwhelmed by the numbers of the enemy.

Erutuk managed to escape when all was lost and he saw that Urik was allied to the Ataphads.

As for Sid-Allagh, he escaped taking the infant Lybak. No one knows what happened to Lybak but Sid-Allagh was killed in front of the Monastery of Glendaloch by the men of Keyn Ashir, Urik’s half-brother and commander of the Storm Riders.

The other Faris Rautha

The 6 other Faris Rautha weren’t at the castle during the Ataphad attack. They were engaged in various missions for Dezbat.

The faris of the Hare (Legh-Wosharb) tried to defend the order in a trial he believed would be faire. He was quickly condemned and thrown in jail where he died quickly.

The faris of the Snake (Dranem) tried to do justice himself. His murder attempt against Urik failed and he was executed. This only served to fuel Urik’s propaganda against the Faris Rautha.

Nireg, the Faris of the Fox created the Rautha Brotherhood that still exists today and now led by Gebril Al Mofiss and other brave supporters. Unfortunately, he arranged to meet the Faris of the Frog, the pious Yauganet, who was secretly watched by Keyn and Urik. The rendezvous was an ambush in which both Faris Rautha were killed.

The Faris of the Tiger (Drashir) headed to the Udgru to raise an army. He doesn’t know what happened to him. The Faris of the Squirrel, Uyok, was trapped by the Zashassar in an imprisonment spell until he was freed by the Rautha Brotherhood with the help of some brave adventurers.

Tusmit

560CY, following the death of his father, Jadhim ascended to the throne of Tusmit. A resourceful man, Jadhim quickly made himself known as a shrewd politician. His pilgrimage to the Yatils where he kneeled before the Grand Mufti consecrated him as the official authority in Tusmit. This earned him the title of – Orem or “Enlightened”, a title reserved to those accepted by the Grand Mufti.

In 579CY, Pasha Jadhim-Orem was deposed by a young ambitious faris named Muammar Quaran. After forcing Jadhim-Orem into exile, now-Pasha Muammar Quaran declared a series of measures destined to make him popular and secure.

Jadhim-Orem fled to Dihn in northern Tusmit where his staunchest supporters still held power. There, he met with his many advisors on what to do next. Civil war seemed to be in the cards for Tusmit until an elven oracle walked up to Jadhim-Orem. The elf told him that he should wait for Tusmit to be ablaze and not of his doing before he could return to claim his crown.

While unhappy, Jadhim-Orem saw the wisdom in the elf’s word. From Dihn, he passed into Ekbir where he remained in exile for the last 16 years. The Caliph, his old rival, welcomed him in Ekbir in a sort of caged freedom. Knowing the shrewdness of the ex-Pasha, the Caliph kept him on guard.

Unable to let things happen on their own Jadhim- Orem was involved in a series of plots over the last few years, but none of them came amounted to anything.

However, when the Wave of Fire hit Tusmit in 594CY, Jadhim-Orem knew the time foretold by the elf had come. To that effect, Jadhim-Orem began to plan his return. It took him nearly a year to be ready, and now he is. Part of the army is in rebellion, the rest is busy trying to keep the country safe from goblins, bandits and other calamities. Blashikdur is readying itself for a siege by elven forces. The Elves have retreated in the Udgru, commerce is paralyzed and the Pasha isn’t doing much. The timing is perfect.

Jadhim-Orem sent some of his closest and most trusted agents to recruit a group of adventurers to serve as guards to escort him from the Ekbirrian border to Dwur’Ayhand in Dihn. However, secrecy is the name of the game so Jadhim-Orem disguised himself and made his way to Tusmit. To make sure no one would recognize him, Jadhim-Orem uses a hat of disguise to make him appear as a veiled Ekbirrian princess. Veiled women are extremely rare in Ekbir (most of them are foreigners) but Jadhim nevertheless uses that scheme.

The Lord of Dezbat, Urik Ashir learned of Jadhim’s flight, thanks to his many informants at the Caliph’s court. Looking to gain even more advantages Urik launched his Riders after Jadhim. Unable to stop the latter from reaching Tusmit, Urik’s forces now try to prevent Jadhim from reaching his supporters in Tusmit. Unwilling to tip his hand, he has not informed his agents of the real identity of the “Ekbirrian Princess.”

At the start of the adventure, Urik Ashir’s men have failed to prevent Jadhim-Orem from reaching Tusmit. Therefore, they may hire the PCs to capture Jadhim- Orem.

The situation in Blashikdur

Martial law has just been recalled in Blashikdur following the events in TUS5-05 Strife and Chaos. The city is slowly returning to normal.

The Tusman Udgru

The part of the Udgru located in Tusmit is dominated by the wood elves. However, a number of elves of other origins have moved into the forest in 594CY. The treaty of Ulamur, signed in the early days of Tusmit granted the elves citizenship, but also allowed Tusmit the right to log up to one mile from the borders of the forest.

Today, the forest is only about half the size it was then, and the Tusman government has turned a deaf ear to the demands of the elves. This has lead to resentment on the elves’ part. The situation can only get worse.

The Ekbirrian Udgru

The Ekbirrian Udgru, the largest part of the forest has been dominated for a long time by bandits, heretics, worshippers of evil deities and opponents to the Caliph. The elves are few and weak both in numbers and politically. Most of them belong to small Grugach isolationist tribes mostly living close to the Tusman Udgru.

In the last fifteen years, a powerful leader has appeared in the Udgru. In a short time, he established total domination of the forest, except for the Tusman part where the elves are more organized, militarily and politically.

Leading an army of highwaymen, worshippers of evil, humanoids, and having the support of fiends from the lower planes, he leads a never-ending guerilla against the Califate and terrorizes all the regions neighboring the forest. The identity of this mysterious warlord is unknown. He is known only by a nickname inspired by his appearance told by some of the few survivors : the Black Knight.

More on the Black Knight can be learned by talking to Uyok, in Encounter 10 – First Surprise.

The situation in the Udgru

Over the years, Jadhim-Orem used a variety of schemes to create chaos and destabilize Muammar Quaran. One of these was to send an emissary to rouse the elves to war. This envoy was Elohir (wood elf slang for “shadow”). In 592 and 593CY he succeeded in gathering enough disgruntled elves to start a small rebellion. He tried to get the sheikdoms of Dihn and Khalid to come to blows. When his plot was discovered, he tried more desperate tactics, only to see them fail because adventurers established peaceful contact with King Khellersorian.

When in late 594CY, Khellersorian took action against the logging operation launched to create more war machines to help the war effort in the south. He was caught by adventurers and executed for treason.

Elohir was quickly crowned king by his supporters. Finding himself the only major leader of the elves, Elohir took quick action to retreat to the newly rediscovered city of Zaneren deep in the Udgru. Technically not within the borders Tusmit or Ekbir, he began rebuilding the city and regrouped his few remaining warriors. Elohir has been very busy making alliances with many forest-borne creatures like the Forest Giants and the Fey

The last year of Khellersorian’s reign saw non-wood elves join the ranks of the Udgru elves, this gives Elohir additional troops, but also conflicting points of view.

When Jadhim-Orem informed Elohir through a courier that he would be coming, Elohir sent some of his most trustworthy rangers to look for the party. For that reason, the elves do not attack any non-elves found in the forest.

The secret of Zaneren is that the city is built upon huge treants who have lived there before the Baklunish Hegira (over 3000 years ago). This secret was discovered by a group of adventurers in 594CY (TUSInt4-02 Promenons-nous dans le bois). During the course of this adventure, Pinecone, the eldest one, does not manifest herself.

The situation is about to get a lot more complicated because troops composed of the bandits and humanoids from the Ekbirrian Udgru are about to launch a surprise attack against the elves of the Tusman Udgru. This will not only extend the Black Knight’s domination to all of the Udgru, but will also honor, through the intermediary of Faruk Al Tureim, the alliance between Urik Ashir and Muammar Quaran.

The Pasha in all this

The Pasha and his government are unaware of the events concerning Jadhim and his return. They are busy with other things like the rebellion in Elisam, the Udgru situation, the red dragon spotted in the Yatils and the rebuilding of Vilayad and the Nayya Gate.

The Faruk Al Tureim Consortium

This consortium, member of the Mouqollad Consortium is based in Zeif. Because of aggressive commercial tactics and considerable financial backing, it has known an impressive growth ; counters and branches were established all over the Baklunish states. The reputation of its leader, Faruk Al Tureim is starting to be blemished, but no tangible proof was ever gathered against him, yet. The merchant Mustaka el- Arand has recently let himself be seduced by the charisma of Faruk and by his generous financial offers. Faruk Al Tureim has thrown in important funds to pursue Jadhim.

Tusmit Loyalists

Throughout the adventure, the following groups or people should be considered loyal to Muammar Quaran.
 The Water Watchers (including Jardez)
 The Tusman Army
 The Tusman Church of Al’Akbar
 Gazool the hunter
 Keyn Ashir and the Storm Riders

Tusmit Rebels

Throughout the adventure, the following groups or people should be considered rebels supporters.
 Ishmal, Moussef & the Princess
 The Udgru Elves
 The Sheik of Dihn and his entourage
 The Rautha Brotherhood (Gebril Al Mofiss & Uyok)

Indifferent

Throughout the adventure, the following people should be considered neutral.
 The Mouqollad Consortium
 The Church of Azor’alq
 Faruk Al Tureim’s Consortium
 Mustaka el-Arand & Waffid Gormad
 The troops of the Black Knight
 Everyone else

RESUME

Introduction The PCs are hired by Ishmal al-Qadi and Gebril Al Mofiss or by men secretly in the service of Urik Ashir and Faruk Al Tureim.

Ishmal and Gebril hire them to escort an Ekbirrian princess from Blashikdur to Dwur’Awad in Dihn. They do not mention the identity of the princess. This runs them through Encounters 2-4

The Ekbirrians envoys claim to be looking for an escaped princess. They insist she be brought back to Ekbir, with her escorts. This runs them through Encounters 5-7

Encounter 1 – Information deals with the information the PCs can glean while in Blashikdur.

Encounter 2 – Into the Udgru Hired by Ishmal and Gebril Al Mofiss, the PCs head into the Udgru, where they are attacked by forest creatures.

Encounter 3 – The King and the Princess The PCs are taken by Udgru elves. The PCs are brought before King Elohir. Elohir and Jadhim-Orem talk to each other for a while (in private). The PCs have a chance to talk to the elves and witness a session of the war council. The next morning, the PCs learn of an attack launched by the Black Knight against the elven kingdom.

Encounter 4 – The Storm Riders The PCs leave the Udgru and are confronted by a group of Storm Riders wanting to stop them from reaching their destination.

Encounter 5 – A Dark, Dark Wood Having been hired by the Ekbirrians, the PCs head into the Udgru EKB5-06/TUS5-07 The Ekbirrian Job Page 7 looking for the Princess and the Qadi where they face a patrol of elves.

Encounter 6 – Jardez The PCs are approached by Jardez, a spy on for the Water Watchers.

Encounter 7 – By order of the Caliph The PCs catch up to Jadhim’s caravan and confront them.

Encounter 8 – Rebelling Nobles A group of angry nobles send a group of elementals to attack the PCs. Jadhim and the two Qadi teleport to town, leaving the PCs to face the creatures.

Encounter 9 – Revelations The PCs reach Dwur’Ayhand and are escorted to the palace of the Sheik.

Encounter 10 – First Surprise The PCs have a meal with Uyok, the Faris of the Squirrel of the Faris Rautha. He makes important revelations to them.

Encounter 11 – Le Secret de la princesse Jadhim reveals himself to Tusmit and the PCs have to make an important choice.

Conclusion Tusmit is still at peace for now. But civil war seems to be on the cards. The situation isn’t much better in Ekbir where the intrigues of Urik Ashir foretell of a serious struggle for Dezbat.