The Kuku Safari
This covers travel during the eleventh month of the eighteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy into the second month of the nineteenth year.
This covers travel during the eleventh month of the eighteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy into the second month of the nineteenth year.
From Sammus’s Boast:
We heard a rumour that Amphius and Agripinus had been for a meal with Baal-Shaq and that Baal-Shaq had adopted Amphius as his long-lost brother. We found that Amphius had taken his dark sword, inscribed “Blood for the Blood God”, to Carthage and shown it to a priest there who had told him that the sword would be more effective if used by a priest or adherent of Baal. Amphius had therefore decided to give it to Baal-Shaq.
The next day, 24th November, we were all invited to join Baal-Shaq for a meal at the town house of the merchant Hamilcar the Bald and Baal-Shaq outlined his plans. “So, we all go on a long journey together! There can be only one leader on a trip such as this. I will ask everyone for their thoughts if we have to make a hard choice, but in the end, I have to decide, and you must follow. If I fall, then that burden will fall on Agripinus, as he has been your commander. No-one will be left behind, unless the needs of the many must outweigh the life of one — and there is no other choice left.
“I am a fortunate man to have new companions on this journey: Amphius, my brother, will see our way in the dark; Agripinus will heal our hurts and find water in the desert; Sammus, will fight at my shoulder; while the wise Mago will give us counsel when needed; Uncle Si'aspiqo will see the unseen world; while Toxoanassa will see he never falls from his pony. Hers is the most difficult task, for we must travel quickly across the mountains if we are to cross the desert in winter and return before the heat makes it impassable again. We will have guides along the way, for I have friends waiting for us who can be trusted. I cross the desert for ivory, but there are many strange things in the wasteland which seven might explore where one may not”.
He explained that we would be accompanied by 20 Numidian horsemen and their remounts, plus pack animals and two mounts for each of us. The inexperienced riders would need to ride double. Those riding double would switch horses in the middle of the day, and everyone else would change horses each new day. Si'aspiqo would ride with Toxoanassa, Amphius with Baal-Shaq and Mago with one of the Numidians. There were two passes through mountains, and we might have to wait at some places if the rain made the way impassable. After the first pass we would change to a second group of Numidians to get to the edge of the desert. Horses and any heavy equipment would be left there, and we could pick up a couple of donkeys, for crossing the desert, one of which would be for the use of Si'aspiqo. Baal-Shaq had made the trip many times before and told us he would be ready to depart on 26th November.
There were four merchants in Tamuda: Himilco of Kart who arranged the travel between Tamuda and Kart; Pumay-Yaton, the stone merchant; Hamilcar the Bald; and Zachary Argyrias, the money lender. My companions and I collected together our gold and silver, which would be too heavy to take with us, and put it into a large chest. Bearing an introduction from Baal-Shaq and Hamilcar we went to see Zachary and Mago negotiated with him to store our chest in his strong room. We agreed to let him have the use of the coins for his business while we were away, and in exchange Zachary was willing to store it at no charge. Si'aspiqo stored all the scrolls in barrels in the care of Kallikrates and had the incendiaries buried at a safe distance to be recovered on our return.
With preparations complete, we set out on 26th November on a cloudy morning with a breeze from the east. As planned, we were accompanied by 20 Numidian horsemen, with their remounts along with 4 pack horses, and 12 extra horses for the party. Tamuda had leant some of his Spanish horses for Baal-Shaq and me to ride. Leading the party were two Numidians carrying long poles and as we set out, they each unfurled a banner — a long blue and white streamer and a long black and red streamer — the standards of Tamuda and Baal-Shaq.
It was a hard day’s ride to Taza, but Baal-Shaq pushed on for around 50 miles, and we arrived at the village shortly before dusk. Si'aspiqo and Mago were both in pain by lunchtime and exhausted by the end of the day with very sore muscles. They were grateful that Agripinus was able to heal them and in the morning, much to the surprise of the Numidians, they were fit to continue. The next day Amphius as well as Mago and Si'aspiqo needed some healing by the priest. That day we passed through Malha, then Ghabia and on to Tafrat, a tiny hamlet on a sizeable lake. The following day we went through a pass with hills on both sides and crossed a river that was running off to the east.
At the end of the day Baal-Shaq gave words of encouragement telling Mago, Amphius and Si'aspiqo that every fourth day would be shorter. On the fourth day we climbed steep hills and through another pass to Ghefia and then on to Hamraine, stopping soon after noon. Toxoanassa, Agripinus and I, as experienced riders, were still feeling fresh, but Mago, Amphius and Si'aspiqo were very grateful for the extra rest.
On the fifth day we rode to Doum and the following day we rode more slowly, climbing steadily up through the Harazem Pass, aiming for Sef. As we rode through the pass, we met a group of Numidians heading north, who looked worried by the size of our party. They were relieved when some of our Numidians waved at them in recognition. We entered Sef at the end of the day; it was similar in size to to Tamuda, apart from not being a port. Baal-Shaq paid his respects but then told us that the Headman wished to speak to all of us. We were invited to the Headman’s townhouse and it was evident he had something on his mind.
The seven of us were admitted into a more modest townhouse than that of Tamuda, similar to those in Teveste. We were met by a middle-aged man, H’Assan. There was much discussion in Berber then in Carthaginian, which Baal-Shaq and Agripinus eventually translated to Arma. H’Assan told us that he had a problem as a witch had cursed his town, which was now haunted by a Black Lion. This lion left no trace and hunted only by night. The settlement had suffered much loss and shepherds feared to guard their flocks. Eight people from the town had been slain and any hunters had returned empty-handed. Wise men had placed spirit-tokens around the town and prayed for deliverance. They prophesied that a stranger would come to their aid. H’Assan hoped that we would be the strangers to fulfill that prophesy. He told us that some bodies had been found near the lake of N’zala and it was thought the lion came from the hills to the north of Sef. He was sure the hide of a Black Lion would have magical properties and added that if we were able to rid the town of the beast, we would have his thanks and a great deal of fame.
Baal-Shaq asked what we thought, and I immediately voiced my interest in dealing with the lion. My companions agreed and Baal-Shaq was keen to maintain good relationships with the people here. He told us that lions in the Atlas Mountains had black manes and that lions were strong and terrible and finding this one would be hard. He would ask if any Numidians would like to join us but would point out to them that this was not what they had signed up for.
From Sammus’s Boast:
The next morning, 1st December, was a cloudy calm morning, with white tips visible on the mountains to the north. We met to discuss plans to deal with the black lion with Baal-Shaq, who was joined by Amanar and Tanazart, two Numidian brothers. They were young, sturdy and healthy looking and keen to join us in our quest, despite their leader, Udad, who thought this was a job for wizards or wise men and had made a sign against evil, when the matter had been raised.
Baal-Shaq relayed what he had learnt from H’Assan’s counsellors. Eight shepherds had died over the last two months, but the lion had attacked only on dark nights, never in the day or by moonlight. Some bodies were horribly mangled and eaten and there had been some spoor left behind, but others had almost completely disappeared with just fragmentary remains of the eaten bodies. Any tracks disappeared after a short while. I wondered about the figures from Greek legend I had seen depicted on kraters with the body of a lion and the wings of an eagle. Si'aspiqo asked for any tufts of fur or droppings, to help him use magic to locate the lion. Baal-Shaq sent word for some of the elders, and when they arrived Baal-Shaq questioned them in Berber. We were told that the hunters had found no lion scat anywhere nearby even though things had been eaten, which was unusual. There had been whisps of black hair in bushes nearby, like the mane of a lion but none had been collected. Lions were rare here but were well known further south. Wise men had put tokens out against evil spirits, lion men and black magic and the lion hadn’t appeared here, but people were unwilling to take their sheep out into good grazing.
North of Sef was a strip of agricultural land, but to the west and south was good grazing. To the west was a gap in the mountains where there was a lake, which was now filling up with winter rain. It was an area hunters came to in search of the animals that watered here, and it was where some of the attacks had taken place. It would be a full moon tomorrow but as the day was so cloudy and still, it would be dark tonight. We decided to ride up to the lake where some of the attacks had taken place and look around for tracks and then camp overnight and see if anything attacked.
We set out that morning under heavy cloud, with Amphius riding with Baal-Shaq, Si'aspiqo with Toxoanassa and Mago with one of the Numidians. We rode due west to a green notch in the mountain, and soon we could see water ahead. The lake was a few hundred yards wide and went on for several miles into the mountains. Before midday we reached the area where we had been told the killings had taken place.
We spent an hour or more searching but found no trails of any large animals. It was now noon, so we rode up to the lake to water the horses and ponies and have a snack. One of the Numidians spotted pony tracks a few days old and thought they might be from wild ponies. There were signs of wildlife and tracks near the water’s edge and Si'aspiqo found some bare human footprints around a rock nearby. They seemed to come out of the water, round the rock and back into the water. Mago found fairly recent sheep and pony tracks — a small group of each. They might be from sheep without a shepherd and some stray ponies or maybe there had been a barefoot shepherd on one of the ponies. The trail headed north away from the water into some bush.
The sheep tracks were difficult to follow, but Toxoanassa spotted some sheep higher up, a couple of hundred feet above us. Toxoanassa, Amphius and the Numidians climbed up to see if they could see the shepherd. They found a dozen sheep there, but no sign of a shepherd.
We gathered firewood and made a camp at a site chosen by Baal-Shaq on a slab of rock a little above the lake. We made a very large fire and Agripinus set up an area to one side with a protection from evil ward around it. We agreed on three watches with Baal-Shaq and Mago on first, Si'aspiqo and me on second and Toxoanassa and the two Numidians on third. Amphius would stay awake all night slightly away from the fire to watch into the darkness.
During my watch, Amphius spotted a very large lion nearby. It came from the north and circled the camp about 50 metres out When it was closest to the Greek, he loosed his bow and hit it with an arrow. I hadn’t spotted it at all, but even though Si'aspiqo had dozed off, he was aware of something in his dreams, so maybe it was more than an ordinary lion.
Amphius came closer to the fire and as he told us what he had seen, Amanar and Tanazat shouted and threw javelins into the darkness and there was a roar from the lion, but it was difficult to tell from which direction. Amphius spotted the beast again but missed with an arrow. Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on Amphius, who struck the lion with an arrow, just before it pounced on him. He tried to dodge but failed and the lion landed on him. Mago missed with his sling. I moved in to attack the lion.
Agripinus chanted a prayer to cast his light of Tanit, Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on me and the Numidians threw their javelins. I shielded off a massive claw. The claw hit my shield like a sledgehammer, and it was all I could do to keep my feet. The lion was very big, very strong and very fast. Toxoanassa loosed an arrow, which struck Mago in the shoulder by mistake in the darkness.
Agripinus brightened his light of Tanit and then chanted again to summon an arcane weapon in the form of a shortsword, with which he could strike spiritually at the lion. Meanwhile Si'aspiqo cast affect normal fires to make the fire burn brighter. Toxoanassa hit the lion with an arrow, but both Baal-Shaq and I missed with our blows and Mago staggered out of reach of the lion.
The beast was clearly visible from the light of Tanit and the now blazing fire. Agripinus armed his arcane weapon. Baal-Shaq was knocked back by a claw, but it missed me. Toxoanassa shot me in the back with another misplaced arrow. Agripinus struck the lion from a distance with his arcane weapon and the lion slumped back as one of the Numidians struck it with his third javelin and Mago hit it with a sling shot. Baal-Shaq and I stepped forward and thrust our spears into the twitching body and it lay still.
Amphius was bleeding in the left arm, but conscious and Agripinus cast cure serious wounds on him; the Greek started to feel a little better. The two Numidians, Baal-Shaq and I dragged the corpse back nearer the fire. It was very heavy — at least twice the weight of a large man — and had a very black mane. Agripinus tried to cast cure serious wounds on Mago who had an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, the priest caused some more damage, but did manage to get the arrow out.
Si'aspiqo looked at the body. It was a very large male lion, with a very thick dark mane. It was a little past its peak with slightly worn teeth. There seemed to be no signs of the arcane attached to it, it seemed entirely mundane, although the magician had had a feeling when he dozed of something like a spirit in his dream, similar to that when he had dreamt of the Archon.
Examining the body of the Lion by the morning light we found: three arrows are sticking in it (two Greek, one Scythian); four Numidian javelins sticking deeply into the body, a sling shot leaving a distinctive wound and broken ribs; one hack into the spine, as though from a sword or axe; two spear thrusts into the chest area, delivered by Sammus and Baal-Shaq to make sure it was dead.
Baal-Shaq congratulated everyone for their bravery in the face of the charge of such a terrible beast. The two Numidian brothers, Amanar and Tanazart were beaming with pride as the carcass was inspected; they now carried only their daggers. The hide of the beast showed many old wounds — several on the face and front legs, as well as an old scar on its rump. One on the face looked only recently healed. Every skirmisher had missed their mark with at least one missile, although it occurred to me that all Toxoanassa’s shafts had all struck home, although not necessarily in their intended target.
Baal-Shaq remarked: “This Black Lion was very bold, to attack a band of armed warriors and hunters — even at night with a rush from the darkness. It charged without hesitation, as soon as we camped in this area, and seemed to have no thought for its own life. Perhaps it had been maddened by pain or some sickness? It seems clear that this must be the man-killer that has been stalking the shepherds, although like others I am uneasy. Chief H’Assan’s talk of a witch’s curse troubles my mind. Perhaps these hills hold more secrets.”
From Sammus’s Boast:
In the morning we speculated on whether the lion had been summoned by the witch, whose curse had been mentioned by H’Assan. Amphius asked whether we had asked questions about the witch rather than just the lion and we were not sure what had been asked as it was in Numidian. Baal-Shaq said “My grasp of Numidian is imperfect, but I think he said the witch was cast out, and cursed Sef. Chief H'Assan did not volunteer much information about the witch, so I thought it impolite to ask directly. From his reluctance one might guess it was a local matter which would bring down the reputation of Sef. Doubtless he told us what he thought we needed to know. We could return with the skin of the Black Lion, and ask questions on the strength of his gratitude, but to what end? Their hunters could not find the Lion, much less the witch. After men started to die, surely they would not suffer a witch to live”. He continued “So our choice is to return with the task maybe only half-done, or to seek out the witch and end this matter one way or another. We were not asked to do this, but maybe what is unsaid may not be unheard. I would hear the views of all. We cannot tarry here for too long, but I had thought it might take several days to find the trail and hunt down the Lion.”
Agripinus prayed to Tanit and used his healing powers on myself and Amphius. I was fully recovered after this and while Amphius had a lot of stitches on his arm and bruising on his chest he could now move around stiffly. Over breakfast Baal-Shaq told us it was time to decide on our next steps. Either we were hunting for the witch or going back to Sef with the trophies from the lion. After a short discussion we all agreed we should stay here, while Amphius was cured by the arts of Si'aspiqo and Agripinus. The Numidian brothers would skin and take trophies from the lion, Toxoanassa would ride round the lake looking for any tracks or clues and Mago and I would try to retrace the lion’s steps in the hills. We would all return to the campsite for mid-afternoon.
Si'aspiqo muttered and touched Amphius and cast a healing sleep on him. The Greek went into a very deep sleep, not stirring at all. Agripinus checked and re-bandaged his wound while he slept away the day.
Mago and I set off lightly armed. Initially I followed a false trail. Casting around I found signs of lots of birds, a fox and a few other small mammals, quite a lot of game. I even spotted a small deer, but no lion. Mago found a very large pile of droppings. It wasn’t something I knew, so I thought it might well be the lion and then Mago noticed a small piece of fur in a nearby bush that could be from the mane. We followed the trail with some difficulty as it had left very little trace. Soon we were high up in the hills following a dried-up stream heading north with the lake off to the west. It led further into the hills and although there was no real trail to follow, every now and again there was the outline of a paw print to indicate we were on the right track.
Mago looked up at the rocks off to one side. There was a band higher up with darker splotches, which he thought might be caves. It was now after midday, so I blazed the trail here and we headed back to camp for mid-afternoon. Toxoanassa had returned around an hour after midday, a couple of hours before us.
She told how she had got part the way around the lake and seen a small crannogg at the end of a causeway in the lake. She had hailed from the shore and a wizened man appeared who seemed to only speak Numidian. From the halting conversation she understood that he was warning her about a bad man and a bad lion and advising her to return to Sef. She had immediately returned to the campsite to report her news and fetch Baal-Shaq, as the only one of us who could speak both Numidian and Berber.
In the middle of the morning Amanar had come to Agripinus as he had seemingly been bitten by the dead lion, while trying to remove the teeth. Agripinus had cast cure light wounds on the Numidian and then had taken a close look at the lion, which had been almost completely skinned and had looked very dead. He had then cast a blessing, as a ward against bad luck or ill will. Meanwhile Si'aspiqo had muttered a cantrip but had discerned no arcane influence. The Numidians had resumed their work and had taken teeth and claws as trophies as well as the skin.
Once we had all reported our news, Baal-Shaq, Agripinus and Toxoanassa rode off to talk to the hermit, while the Numidians and I stayed to guard the camp and the sleeping Amphius. Si'aspiqo and Mago also stayed behind with us. Baal-Shaq and Toxoanassa returned just before dusk with a rather damp looking Agripinus.
Baal-Shaq had laid aside his sword and gone out on the causeway to talk to the hermit whose name was Bibi, a wise or holy man of Lake N’zala, which was his god. He had told Baal-Shaq about the witch and had pointed off to the East, maybe in the direction of the caves we had found earlier. He had warned Baal-Shaq that arrows would have no effect on the witch and that the witch could curse people and even find and kill them in their sleep. Bibi had explained that the lake was good and fed him and protected him against the witch. He had also told Baal-Shaq that he and the witch could see each other, but the lake saved him. Agripinus had made an offering to the lake by throwing some coins in. Bibi had walked out into the water and Agripinus had followed. When Bibi dived below the surface the priest had tried to follow but the water was very cold and Agripinus got into difficulty as he could hardly swim. He had been propelled powerfully out of the water by Bibi as though by a powerful sea creature. Bibi had suggested that they go back to Sef and tell them that they had killed the lion and avoid the witch.
The Numidians collected more firewood and built a fire for the night. Amphius was still deeply asleep and not stirring at all. Si'aspiqo cast circle of protection around the Greek and meditated within the space, trying to keep an eye out for anything prowling in the dream world. Agripinus cast a glyph of warding outside of that and we set watches for the night and tried to get some sleep.
In the second half of the third watch, a little before dawn, Amphius stirred and awoke. Baal-Shaq was by the fire sleeping and Si'aspiqo had his head bowed and dozed fitfully. Amphius felt very refreshed and was back to full fitness, despite being mauled by the Lion hardly a day before. We all awoke in the pre-dawn light and Amphius related his unwelcome dream to the party:
Last night I seemed to wake while walking a narrow path — all was dark, though, of course, I could see. The path fell away on both sides with rough terrain below. While I was not sure why, it felt right to be on the path and the path, although narrow, seemed to go in a straight line. As I walked, I became aware of a presence below the path: a malevolent figure, a person, dark, in a cowled garment. His eyes burned and were visible to me, but no other features: he was attempting to ascend from below to the path but seemed unable to do this.
I looked for my weapons but found myself unarmed. Looking along the path I felt it was taking me towards the dawn. I continued to walk on, stumbling twice, but recovered each time. The figure came closer but was not able to reach me on the path and fell behind. I continued on the path and then woke here in today's dawn. I give thanks to all gods and others who have preserved me from this unwelcome dream.
In my dream state I realize that I did not actively call on the Greek gods to guide me. Nor did I attempt to use other skills — such as moving rapidly or silently out of sight (maybe by crawling) — which might have allowed me to evade the presence. I kept to the middle of the path and walked steadily although, as I say, I stumbled twice even in this cautious mode of progress. I also did not attempt to keep to the side away from the presence. Possibly I should have done this, though the narrowness path may not have made this practical. Nor did I attempt to call any weapon into my dream — so cannot say if such an attempt might have been successful.
I am reminded of the power of the Lamia some of us encountered in the desert south of Carthage. It called to me powerfully and I was unable to resist its spell without assistance. In this case the witch, for I am sure it was he, could summon me into his dream while I was sleeping deeply in our camp. Without the protection of the path, he would have seized me to my detriment. All of us should be alert to this risk. I say that we must urgently confront and kill the witch to prevent his attack. Either that or quit this region and travel to be beyond the reach of his power — however, I do not know how far that would be.
I, Amphius of Crete, have spoken and remain troubled.
Si'aspiqo had seen nothing in his own dreams. Baal-Shaq told us we had a choice to make, and we decided to investigate the caves rather than returning to Sef. We left the ponies behind guarded by the two Numidians and set off into the hills the way Mago and I had gone the previous day. After some hours we followed the dried water course up to where we had seen the band of rocks sticking out of the hillside with shadows that might be caves.
The skirmishers led the way a few hundred feet steeply uphill and apart from Amphius twisting his ankle, we reached the spot safely. Here indeed we found a cave mouth. Si'aspiqo felt for magic with a cantrip but felt nothing. Amphius led the way deeper into the cave into shadow. There was a broad opening narrowing into a darker place, but he could see gnawed bones ahead. Si'aspiqo cast protection against evil on Amphius, but he soon found the cave was empty. It had evidently been the lion’s den. There were five or six dismembered human corpses judging by the gnawed bones and scattered skulls, plus the bones of deer and sheep. There were no other exits from the cave.
Si'aspiqo cast another spell; a fortune telling seeking the beast’s master and learnt that he was not to the West.
From Sammus’s Boast:
By now it was late morning and we decided to spend a few hours searching for the witch, with the aim of returning to camp for the night to avoid leaving the Numidians alone for night. After a short while we spotted another possible cave and Amphius went in to investigate. There were two caves close together but he found nothing of interest in either. We headed on for another couple of hours but found no more caves of interest. Although there was less wildlife than close to the lake, we saw plenty of birds and the occasional wild goat and sheep.
After a further two hours we were higher up, following a gap in the hills to the northeast, about 3 hours from our camp. Just as we were deciding to finish for the day, Mago spotted what looked like a cave on the slope opposite and we decided to investigate that before heading back to camp.
Amphius sneaked up quietly and found evidence of a campfire, some weeks old, and then entered a broad cave with an overhang. There was some brush and rubbish at the back of what seemed to be quite a shallow cave, but when he pulled away the brush, he found that it went much deeper into the hillside.
Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip to try to determine if there was any feel of magic within the cave but had no definitive result. Agripinus cast a blessing on Amphius and then the Greek headed into the deeper part of the cave and after a few minutes the rest of us started to follow. He soon returned to meet us at the entrance.
He said there seemed to be a substantial series of linked caves. He had found a stack of prepared firewood in one and then there had been a 45-degree slope down to another level, where he had spotted two skulls placed on either side of the tunnel as it levelled out after the slope.
Amphius led the way again, followed by Agripinus, me, Si'aspiqo, Baal-Shaq, Mago and Toxoanassa. We passed an opening on the left and reached the steep slope down. I held a 30-foot rope at the top of the slope, while my comrades started to work their way down the slope, which stretched just beyond the reach of the rope.
Si'aspiqo lit a torch and could see the two skulls on the floor ahead. The rest of the party halted their descent until there was enough room at the bottom of the slope. Si'aspiqo cast another cantrip and felt these skulls held magic and that there were more wards ahead. Agripinus invoked a protection against evil and summoned the light of Tanit, while Amphius covered his eyes. By the light of Tanit the priest and the magician could see another couple of stones with sigils drawn on them set further along past the skulls and that the passage turned to the right further ahead.
Agripinus walked past the skulls. In the dust of the floor was a rope or noose that caught his feet and he fell loudly to the floor and pebbles scattered in all directions. Amphius cut the rope and then led the way forward with Agripinus shielding the light from dazzling the Greek. Now there was space for Baal-Shaq to descend the slope. Amphius looked for traps as he led the way forward and saw scribbles on a pair of small rocks in the wall of the passage as it turned to the right. The tunnel opened out into a long irregular cave with more pairs of rune-signs drawn on the walls of the passage. As he passed the first pair of stones, Amphius’s guts started to churn as though he had been suddenly struck by dysentery and he felt an urge to run to the surface and empty his bowels. Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on Amphius, but the Greek was soon incapacitated by the curse and voided his bowels in the corridor.
Si'aspiqo made his way to the front to look more closely at the runes. They looked to be badly drawn Egyptian characters and he recognized them as a black magic curse ‘quaking of the bowels’ similar to those he had discovered in Kaskator. The sigils all seemed to be curses inscribed on rocks sticking out into the path. He thought the first pair had been discharged and would need to be recharged before working again. He recognized the next pair ahead as being a curse of ‘misfortune’.
Agripinus strode forward confident in his faith, with his protection from black magic amulet as well as his protection from evil which he refreshed. He felt something unseen as he passed the next pair, but his protections deflected it – Si'aspiqo wasn’t sure what curse had been laid there. As Agripinus went past another pair of sigils he felt an attack but once more resisted its effect – Si'aspiqo thought the curse inscribed was ‘fever’. Agripinus pushed on boldly but felt something squirm in his innards as he passed the next as his protections failed. He too felt as though he had been suddenly stricken by dysentery.
Mago went down the slope next, and stumbled and fell close to Amphius, but was not seriously harmed. Baal-Shaq told Agripinus to go outside as he was clearly unwell. The priest drank some holy water and briefly felt a little better and Baal-Shaq led the way forward. Agripinus offered a protection from evil, but Baal-Shaq told the priest he had no need of it.
Agripinus and Amphius now retreated and Agripinus also voided his bowels as he was overcome by the black magic of the curse. He managed to stagger outside, while the Greek waited in the entrance. Toxoanassa stayed with the two victims, and I descended after the others taking the rope with me.
Baal-Shaq led Si'aspiqo followed by Mago while I took rearguard, and we continued carefully along the narrow cave. There was an option on the right, or the tunnel continued ahead. Si'aspiqo with his torch looked to the right and could see another 45-degree slope down into the dark. Baal-Shaq stood guard here, and Mago and I looked for tracks ahead. We saw nothing but after a short distance the passage turned to the left and then ended in a ceiling collapse. Si'aspiqo tried to check if there was anything hidden there but didn’t find anything suspicious.
We returned to the option on the right and the difficult slope down. I held onto the rope while Baal-Shaq descended halfway and then Si'aspiqo followed with the torch. Mago and then I followed and although I slipped a little, we reached the others safely. I then held the rope again for the second half of the descent. Baal-Shaq called up that he was at the bottom, and we all followed him down. I slipped near the bottom and collected a few bruises.
The passageway narrowed ahead and out of the darkness a horrible voice echoed out in what seemed to be Numidian. Baal-Shaq translated that we were called on to depart or perish – but we were all undaunted and continued on into the darkness to face our foe.
The passage was very narrow, and I had to really squeeze through and drag my shield after me. We could all hear the unpleasant voice intoning something ahead of us. Baal-Shaq made a swift prayer to Baal and pressed forward with sword drawn. Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on both Mago and I. Baal-Shaq had gone on ahead with the only lit torch, so Si'aspiqo lit another and we hurried after. I saw the passage ahead open up into a large cave and the figure of Baal-Shaq on the floor with his feet tangled by something and another figure in the darkness beyond him.
Mago passed to the side of Baal-Shaq and Si'aspiqo and saw the figure waving a club or maybe a wand at them. He threw a knife, which hit the figure and seemed to put him off his incantation. Mago moved further off to the side, and I rushed past Si'aspiqo to attack the witch.
Si'aspiqo fumbled for a bone flute, while my feet seemed to stumble and I felt checked in some way, but I was still able to wield my sword. However, my blow seemed to lack its normal control and the witch managed to dodge – I must have been cursed with ill fortune. Mago narrowly missed with another knife, while Baal-Shaq had managed to cut his feet free. Mago threw another knife but missed again and my blows were still ineffective as my luck had run dry.
The witch chanted again in Numidian but seemed to misspeak his curse and coughed and spluttered instead, while Si'aspiqo pulled out his flute, then readied it to blow fire or smoke at the witch. My sword missed again, and the witch waved his wand or club at Baal-Shaq who also missed with his sword. Now Mago had thrown all his knives, so he drew a dagger and closed in on the witch from the flank.
Si'aspiqo used the torch and his flute to create a strange writhing stream of smoke and blew it towards the witch. Mago managed to stab the witch in the arm and then the head, while Baal-Shaq and I were still ineffective – Baal-Shaq also seemed cursed with ill fortune.
Si'aspiqo’s smoke blew around the head of the witch, putting him off and I finally managed to hack into the arm of our foe. At that point Baal-Shaq hit the witch with his sword and cut into his left leg and he fell down shrieking. After Mago stabbed him once more in the leg he was badly wounded and immobile and then Baal-Shaq struck off his head. We stuffed rags in the still-moving mouth of the head and then explored the cave.
There was a pool of water and nearby a skin stretched out on a frame. There were also some rolls of lambskin marked with hieroglyphics. Si'aspiqo made some arcane gestures, and the smoke was cleared away by a gust of wind. On the floor we found a wand of carved bone and a necklace of large claws and teeth, which was probably a fetish for the black lion. There was also a burnt bone with yarn around it, five or six potions and some other wizardly detritus scattered here and there in various corners.
Mago investigated the pool. It was cold, clean water, which seemed to be filled drip by drip from the ceiling and was quite shallow. He could find nothing of value within. Baal-Shaq and I still both seemed bedeviled by bad luck and stumbled our way up to the outside world, where Amphius and Agripinus were both still suffering from dysentery.
The things we had found in the witch’s den were taken outside along with his head. Baal-Shaq made a pyre of firewood and announced his intention to burn the body of the wizard at dawn. Si'aspiqo set up a protection from evil around the camp and we set watches for the night, while Agripinus prayed to Tanit for aid against the curses inflicted upon us.
From Sammus’s Boast:
Baal-Shaq suggested burning the body on a pyre at dawn, but after discussion we decided it would be best to dispose of the head and body as soon as possible. Toxoanassa and Mago went back down into the caves to fetch the body and the head, accompanied by Si'aspiqo. Agripinus focused on healing himself and suggested making a hole beside the cave, so that he could make water spring forth. Baal-Shaq and I ferried out the firewood from inside the caves and then dug a small hole.
Si'aspiqo filled a water skin from the dark pool in the witch’s cave. Mago trussed up the body with some rope and with Toxoanassa help they managed to carry it up the two slopes and drag it outside. Agripinus cured himself but his first attempt to heal Amphius failed. He did produce enough fresh water to refill all the water bottles. He then successfully healed Amphius, and they both had a large drink of fresh water.
A campfire was prepared, and a large pyre was made 10 yards away. The body was placed on the pyre and Baal-Shaq removed the head from his bag. Si'aspiqo started the fires with a cantrip and then brewed a calming and restorative tea. Soon after the full moon rose. It was very cloudy, although a little diffuse, pale light shone through. Si'aspiqo cast spells to increase the force of the pyre, which roared and burnt hotly. In a fairly short time, a lot of the wood was consumed, and we could all smell the burning body. Baal-Shaq tossed the head on, and the magician kept the pyre burning longer at the optimum heat. It had burnt into a pile of ashes by midnight. Baal-Shaq put out a thin shard of stone and placed a gold object on it in the campfire and then muttered prayers to the idol.
We settled for the night and Amphius and Agripinus slept fitfully. Si'aspiqo went into his dream trance and the rest of us tried to stay awake. In the morning Si'aspiqo reported that he had seen the spirit during his dreams, and it had tried our boundaries during the night. It had whispered and approached, but each time had failed to cross the wards. Si'aspiqo had been concerned that it was trying and had cast a further protection for himself and stood to oppose the spirit in his dream. This in combination with the two existing protections had forced the spirit to leave, but the wizard did not think it had gone completely. It had clearly been the spirit of the place, although Si'aspiqo was not sure if it was still the spirit of the witch. He was also not sure whether the body we had burnt had been occupied by its original owner or the spirit that the witch had summoned.
In the morning Baal-Shaq felt that his curse had been lifted through his prayers to Baal. I was blessed in a ceremony by Agripinus but unfortunately the curse still seemed to hold sway on me.
We decided to take the ashes and remaining bones with us back to the lake and scatter them along the way. First Agripinus blessed the area and then he used his sword to cut up any bones. Finally, Baal-Shaq gathered up any remains in a bag and we struck camp and set off back to the lake, with Baal-Shaq scattering remains at multiple points along the way.
As we got close to the lake, we were met by one of the Numidian brothers, who had come in search of us. When we reached the campsite near the lake, we found the lion skin pegged out to dry and a pile of very large teeth and claws. The heart of the lion was being smoked over a fire.
Agripinus and I stayed with the Numidians while the rest went to pass on news of the death of the witch to the hermit. When they returned, they reported that Baal-Shaq and Si'aspiqo had explained to the hermit that we had killed the witch and fought off an attack from the spirit. The hermit had known that the spirit walked in the night and thought it might continue to haunt the hills if it did not want to be reborn. The hermit had agreed that we had done a good deed and thanked us for letting him know. He was confident that the lake would keep him safe.
He heard of the witch’s curse of me and thought it might be difficult to lift. Only powers like the lake last a lifetime he added, but curses of the dead often linger. Maybe in Sef someone would know more of this than he, he suggested.
The Numidians believed that eating the heart of the lion made someone a lion hunter and they would no longer be affected by the lion’s roar and the lion would know this and be wary. Baal-Shaq distributed the lion heart, and we all took our share. The loot was then all packed into saddlebags, and we broke camp and rode for Sef, arriving shortly before dusk.
On our arrival we were met with a lot of happiness in the town, and we were immediately shown to the Headman’s hut, where H’Assan greeted us. There did seem to be some mixed emotions on his face, but he told us he was pleased and there would be a large celebration tonight.
A barbecue was held, starting with a long speech from H’Assan. A leopard skin hat was given to Baal-Shaq, who was formally adopted as a noble warrior of Sef. All of us were now in good standing here. We were given advice from the elders on the things we had found in the cave.
The flasks had sigils; two for spirit walk, another for slave, two more had healing and one had slow death. They elders agreed there was no doubt that we had killed the witch, Netan How, who had lived in Sef for a long time and had been cast out for making mischief. The name sounded slightly Egyptian to Si'aspiqo.
The lion skin was seen as a powerful trophy and was much admired. It was something that could be worn by warriors or witch doctors, but the elders were not sure what its virtue was. Amphius told the tale of Hercules, a Greek hero, who had killed the Nemean lion and wore its skin.
The night passed in a public festival, with the barbecuing of lambs and sheep. Baal-Shaq was pleased that we could now resume our journey and he was in even better standing in Sef than he had been and told us that this could not have been done without everyone’s help.
I knew I would not be able to continue unless the curse was lifted and Agripinus planned another ceremony in the morning and would pray to Tanit for inspiration.
Si'aspiqo investigated the wand that had been used to curse me. He thought it was a thigh bone, possibly human that had been carved and inscribed but he couldn’t decipher it. He thought it might be pseudo-Egyptian. His only suggestion was to destroy it as part of ceremony. He also found that there were Egyptian hieroglyphs on the lambskin, but they were not well drawn.
From Si'aspiqo’s Wheeze:
The low, slow, thorough pyre glows beside the cave entrance, light catching our expedition’s principal, Baal-Shaq, as he stands a night watch over our close-packed campsite. His rite is concluded, his golden idol watches over him from the camp fire.
My comrades, exhausted and so susceptible, are protected within the boundaries I have laid down. Boundaries marked by tokens: the small cairns of the proper number of pebbles; the branch, twisted, so the low red-glow of the coals of the camp fire light it as a significant sign; on a protruding boulder the carefully patterned daub of mud taken from the edge of a holy man’s miraculous spring. All these mark vertices of a perimeter of protection.
I strongly suspect the slain witch to be a dream-walker as well as a wielder of the curse-sorcery, so lay my head down and leave the waking world, to stand my own guard in another place. There is dark and warmth. Below a warm breeze blows; high above streamers of cloud speed past the stars of this place, stars which never quite resolve into constellations known to the waking world.
Here below I am alone, though a golden light close-by must mark the camp fire. Alone, until a chill draught cuts through the warmth, the same chill I felt before the black lion attacked, the chill of the Archon, the chill of a deeper darkness from beyond.
A shade in the shape of a person circles around the camp, just beyond the light. Watching from the corner of my own eye, I catch a glint as of another's eye in the dark shape and below that, movement of a mouth, and my ears hear a faint muttering that is no language I recognise, let alone understand.
Better I am here to hear than it whispers into the ear of any innocent sleeper hereabouts. I am closer, nearly here with it. Though I think the shade cannot approach the sleepers through the protections in place, despite it seeming incapable of approaching close enough to achieve harm, I am uncomfortable at the prowling shade’s presence, so speak an incantation of protection:
“Oh male spirit, female spirit, male dead, female dead!
Be on your way, be distant from me!
Go on, you, I shall not go along with you!
You shall have no power over me, you shall not give me to Apep.
You will raise your face as well as your ba, your shapes, your corpse-like apparitions, your magic as well as your forms.
I speak with the blood of the earth on my tongue!
I stand here as the Hand and Eye of Ra!
I stand here to bring light in the face of those who would bring darkness!”
And it seems to me that I am become the focus of the golden glow at the camp fire, a torch in the darkness, and I step to the boundary to stand directly against the shade, which recoils into and merges with the outer darkness and troubles this dream no more. But there is no sign of it passing out of the world altogether while I stand watch here, alone, until woken by the pre-dawn light.
From Agripinus’s Journal:
The witch-doctor’s last curse placed on Sammus was tenacious; it was going to need divine intervention to wipe away the stain. For the best result that would entail performing the ritual in a sacred place. Since departing Carthage, I had carried two idols of Tanit with me for the purpose of setting up shrines where they would do most good. The first, smaller, one was set up in Teveste, and now it appeared that here in Sef was an apposite place to set the second. Far enough from the port of Tamuda to be in “new territory” and also on a caravan route so that it could be visited by any traveller wanting to give thanks to Tanit’s healing light.
After some consultations with Baal-Shaq and the village elders, a suitable site was selected by the headman. It looked as if it was a round stone and timber building that had burned down at some point and most of the remains had been cleared away. I blessed the ground, and communed with Tanit herself to ascertain the most propitious method to cleanse the worthy Sammus. Inspiration told me he would need to be washed with holy waters, and baptized in Tanit’s healing liquid. It was fortunate that I had the ability to bring forth several gallons of water from the arid sands in preparation for bathing the unclean.
Meanwhile it appeared that the entire village turned up to help build the new shrine out of stone. With almost too many hands willing to help with every task, the process was completed in only a day and a half. I sang hymns to Tanit as they worked to reduce the chances of slips, trips and other accidents, and then performed some curing for several sick children in gratitude for the villager’s aid.
I bought 4 sheep for the sacrificial offering to Tanit as I performed the ceremony that would consecrate the finished building. Then the meat was used to feed the villagers who had been so generous with their time and skills to aid me in this venture. Before midnight on the second day Tanit was emplaced in her new shrine-house, and the feast of celebration was over.
At dawn on the third day, it was time to dig a shallow pit and fill it with the blessed waters. I laid the naked Sammus down and washed him with the holy waters, washing away the curse that gripped him. Being such a big lad, I had to do it twice before all trace of the foulness was washed away, but finally I could declare, by the Grace of Tanit, that the curse was lifted, and the stain of misfortune had been washed away.
The next day we were scheduled to leave, and so I bestowed a sum of money on the village chief for the aid of any traveller who would need it, to provide shelter and food in the shrine, and to keep it clean should any desire to stop there. I was content that two good deeds had been done in one, and would endeavour to visit again, or perhaps even send a representative to continue to spread Tanit’s light in the region.
From Si'aspiqo's Wheeze:
Recorded in the 18th year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy, son of Ptolemy, King of Upper and Lower Egypt.
7th day of the 12th Month.
(The afternoon of the morning of the Cleansing of Sammus)
Baal-Shaq said:
‘The things of the Witch should be for Si'aspiqo to study. Destroy the unclean, keep what is safe to use. No-one should handle them lightly. They are for those that know these Arts, at least in part.’
I have destroyed, by fire, the bone cursing wand* as a possible link to the world for the curséd spirit of the late witch whom I shall not name.
* Despite the possibility of an opportunity to advance the academic pursuit of counter-malediction studies. Sigh.
I thank Agripinus Tanit’s Priest for his support in conducting a further, cleansing, blessing of the ashes in the the name of Tanit’s Light, so standing shoulder by shoulder with me against the dark, after my application of cleansing fire to the bane-bone at a wilderness site beyond the boundary of our hosts’ fair home of Sif.
We, or our ponies most likely, shall further grind the ashy remnants of the witch’s working into the dust of the path in our passage out of Sif in the morning, tomorrow.
My thanks also to all who accompanied or assisted us.
Footnote:
By my reckoning, of the late witch's effects I bear: the black lion skin by gift of our leader Baal-Shaq and further, by his command above, responsibility for:
(I have concerns, still, about what exactly is is written on the sheep skins, and the actual contents and ingredients of the bottled potions, but judge their status less pressing of investigation and that their fate can – with due caution meanwhile – be determined at a later time.)
From Sammus’s Boast:
Preparations were made to leave Sef and we rode out on a cloudy morning, the 8th December. We followed the trail which swung round to the south. After 20 miles we rode through a small hamlet, Sefron, and then at the end of a hard day’s ride, we reached a wilderness camp, where we stayed overnight. By then both Mago and Si'aspiqo were exhausted and strained by the day’s ride. They were cured by Agripinus and able to ride again by dawn.
The following morning was fair with a light north-westerly wind and as we rode south, we could see snow tipped mountains and late in the morning we could see the Burman pass ahead. We climbed the pass through impressive terrain with snow above us, and then descended. We covered less distance than the previous day, because of the hard climb, but reached the small hamlet of Katan at the end of the day. In the afternoon Agripinus had fallen, when his horse slipped, and he had to ride a spare pony. This evening, he had to heal the exhausted Si'aspiqo, Mago and Amphius.
It was noticeably cooler the next morning, and we rode along a high plain where it was much drier and dustier. We arrived in Zaida late in the day, where the priest had to heal Si'aspiqo and Mago once again.
The next day we rode until lunchtime, as far as Midef, an isolated town. We were met here by two guides from Merzooga, who had been waiting for Baal-Shaq. Their names were Yidir and Boona, and they were more familiar with the trails and mountain pass south of here. They were surprised by the size of the party. We rested for the afternoon were all fully recovered after a good night’s rest.
There was a blood red dawn, and we could see mountains sparkling with snow to the south of us. Si'aspiqo thought it would be a fine day, but there were some dark, threatening clouds to the north. As we rode south, our guides spent quite a lot of time looking back to the north. During the afternoon we wound our way through the spectacular mountain pass of Er-Riche. It was considerably colder when we made camp at the end of the day. Mago, Si'aspiqo and Amphius were all exhausted and Agripinus had to heal them. It was bitterly cold, but we had a little wood, and found some more to make a small fire, which Si'aspiqo persuaded to burn efficiently with a spell.
In the morning, Si'aspiqo, Mago and Amphius needed further healing, Mago was suffering badly from the cold as well as the ride. Snow was now falling heavily. Baal-Shaq told us we needed to ride on, but we should go cautiously as footing would be treacherous. Si'aspiqo thought the snow would last all day or more. Soon we needed to lead the horses, as the snow had quickly become quite deep. Without the guides we would soon have been lost in the snowy mountains. It was still very cold when we camped for the night. Those in sandals had found it very hard and they improvised better footwear overnight. We huddled together for warmth, although the weather was no worse than I was accustomed to in Gaul.
The next morning, we walked on leading the horses and ponies as the snow continued. Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip and thought there was better weather ahead. Soon the guides decided we could ride as the path was clearer ahead and the snow petered out. The wind was in our faces, but it was warmer now. Agripinus’s horse stumbled; he fell, and he again had to swap mounts. When we camped at the end of the day Agripinus had to cure himself, after his fall, as well as the usual suspects. He was having to work hard to keep the inexperienced riders in condition to continue.
The next day it was very overcast behind us, but brighter ahead, as we rode onto the plains. At dusk, we rode into a settlement in a small oasis, Khettara. Our guides told us it was now only two days ride to Merzooga, at the end of the Numidian lands. The priest again had three to heal.
The next morning there was a brisk warm wind with particles of stinging sand in it. Visibility was poor to the south and our two guides told us this was the Sirgui, a desert wind. We tied rags over our faces, to protect us from the sand as we rode south into it. Mago, Amphius and Si'aspiqo needed healing and that night Si'aspiqo slept fitfully and dreamt of a dark desert, full of shadow.
Amphius needed more healing in the morning, before we rode on, with a cool wind from the northwest as the bad weather spilled over the mountains and it began to rain, which seemed unusual here. After 10 miles we passed through the hamlet of Erfond and late in the day we approached Merzooga. I thought there were mountains far off to the east, but soon realised they were much closer than I had thought and were made of great piles of sand. There was a line of ridges and huge sandy dunes, which I had never seen before.
To the west of us we had followed a small waterway with some vegetation on either side. The waterway was seasonal, I guessed, and it petered out, just before we reached Merzooga, the largest place we had seen since Sef. This marked the beginning of the desert lands and here we would have to say goodbye to the horses – to the relief of Mago, Si'aspiqo and Amphius, I suspected.
There were two desert guides waiting for us, they were heavily armed with sword, dagger, hide shield, and javelins and each had a blue veil wrapped around their head, neck, and shoulders. I learned that these were Kel Ajjer, one of the different groups of desert nomads, each of which had a name beginning with Kel. To the east were the Kel Hoggar, and there were other clans off to the south. They muttered something in Berber to Baal-Shaq, who talked to them and pointed to us. It seemed plain that they had not expected Baal-Shaq to have companions. These men said little, and I did not learn their names. Their faces were hard to see behind their blue veils, and they looked darkened by the sun and wind.
That evening we camped in an empty kraal in part of the town. The Numidians would leave in the morning and Baal-Shaq discussed with them when they should return. We would now walk east into the desert with the two guides, which looked difficult in the soft sand. We would head to Abadla, an Ajjer town, where we would pick up more guides and the long trail southwards. Mago and Amphius bought boots for the return trip, and I bought extra cloth for protection from the blown sand. Si'aspiqo could not find boots to fit him and had to make do with what he had.
We said a fond farewell to the Numidians in the morning and then followed our two guides eastwards into the desert. We took two ponies with us, which provoked much discussion between our rather villainous-looking guides and Baal-Shaq, who pointed meaningfully at Agripinus. It was an overcast day with a light, sandy wind from the east carrying particles of sand. We made camp at the end of a long day’s walking: crossing the dunes had been hard work. The ponies were now very thirsty and nearly flagging, but Agripinus made a small depression in the sand, and muttered a prayer and a little spring of water bubbled forth to fill it and then continued to flow, much to the amazement of the two guides. They jabbered away in some dialect of Numidian and gestured to the sky many times. Tanit’s miracle with water certainly made an impact in this sea of red sand. The ponies guzzled away, and we all refilled our bottles before it vanished once more into the thirsty ground.
In the morning, we set off again with an overcast sky which became clear as the day wore on. At the end of that day, we reached an oasis and a town, Abadla, quite different in style from those of the Numidians. All here were wearing dark blue veils and more guides were waiting in the town for Baal-Shaq. It seemed to me they had chosen a hard place to live in.
From Sammus’s Boast:
Most buildings in Abadla were made from mud bricks and had thin angled flat roofs. There were a handful with taller towers and there was a low stone and mud wall all around the town with scattered kraal enclosure. We were shown to one of the larger buildings and then Baal-Shaq, my companions and I were shown in to see the headman.
Kasila, chief of the Ajjer clan, appeared with his wife, both formally dressed and on a double throne; she didn’t speak but did take an interest in the conversation. Her name was Madaya, she did not wear a veil and was very attractive. They both wore fine jewelry. There was a lot of discussion in the local version of Numidian and after a while Baal-Shaq gestured to Amphius and then the rest of us. He then explained to us that he had told Kassila and Madaya that Amphius was his blood brother, and the rest of us were the sworn companions of Amphius and that we were all travelling as brothers and sister. Kassila spoke in broken Punic, bidding us welcome to Abadla, his home, saying that he gave us food and water, and asked us to stay in peace.
There was more talk in Numidian, before Kasila and Baal-Shaq seemed to reach an agreement and the discussion was handed over to an advisor called Izil. Izil was a priest-doctor and said that he had heard we travelled with a mystic who caused water to spring forth in the desert – enough for two ponies or more, and asked who it was. Agripinus introduced himself as a member of the sacred band and a priest of Tanit and Baal-Shaq added that he was from Carthage. Izil called Carthage the City of the White Veil and told us that Agripinus was the first of these mystics to visit his lands and added that if he respected their faith, they would respect his. Agripinus agreed, adding that we would respect their laws and customs and thanking Kasila and Izil for their kind words. He asked what God was followed here and Izil explained that they were worshippers of Baal, which helped explain why Baal-Shaq was welcome here.
We camped in one of the kraals on the outskirts of the town and the next morning we met up with our guides and bearers. As well as the two guides we had already met, who we learned were named Ebeggi and Ittu, there were four more – Axil, Ghanim, Ijju and Badis. The latter was armed and dressed differently. He had a black veil and in his belt was a truncheon with silver bands around the end. Our guides planned to leave that very night and produced half a dozen porters in rougher clothes with a darker complexion like Baal-Shaq. They were evidently of a lower status than the warrior-guides. We discussed what we should wear; our guides recommended a bermuz, a long woolen cloak worn for the winter. They also wore shirts and trousers, which were familiar to me, but not to my companions, along with a tagelmust, a veil that went around the face, neck, and shoulders – dark blue for warriors, black for doctors and brown for craftsmen.
We went to the market to try to equip ourselves. Many of my companions bought complete sets of clothing and even leather shoes, with Si'aspiqo opting for a black tagelmust and Mago a brown one. I bought a bermuz and tagelmust, but even though I tried on many pairs of trousers and shirts, all were far too small, and the sight provoked much laughter in the crowd of locals following us. Toxoanassa also provoked much interest – the locals were evidently unused to female warriors. It was noticeable that women and their faces were much more in evidence here than previous towns. Si'aspiqo also bought a dozen sheets of sheepskin parchment and some inks in the market.
We discussed what we might encounter in the desert with our guides. They mentioned the following:
Badis explained that this was the reason for the silver bands round the end of his truncheon and showed us marks on the bands, explaining that this work was done by jewelers rather than bladesmiths. Some of these things also feared fire, he added. Baal-Shaq showed Badis his sword, which interested Badis, who then asked about Amphius’s eyes. Baal-Shaq explained that Greek had been marked by the Gods, and although dazzled by the sun could see like a cat at night.
Amphius went with Baal-Shaq seeking a jeweler to make him a silvered weapon. They found someone and Baal-Shaq talked to him, and he agreed to make a silver banded truncheon without delay. Amphius asked about silver arrowheads, but the trader explained that these would be too soft to harm anything. Mago traded a bag of ochre from the witch’s den for an iron sword in a scabbard. This looked a good deal, as it was of local manufacture but sharp and well made. I left a lion’s tooth with a jeweller to be made into a necklace ready for our return. We took the opportunity in the afternoon to have a nap, as we would be walking through the night.
That evening a large party walked out of town: six guides, six porters, Baal-Shaq, my five companions and two ponies besides myself. The porters carried a tent, water, and other supplies. As we walked into the desert, Axil stayed in the middle of the party, but there was always one guide at the back and two at the front. Amphius was also at the front, because of his night vision. The night was cool and quite dark as it was overcast, but for the first part of the night there was a little moonlight from a first quarter moon. We walked for twelve hours, resting after every four, and continued past dawn. Agripinus greeted the dawn with his usual ceremony, and we stopped soon after to set up camp. By now the ponies were gasping for water. Agripinus muttered a prayer and a little spring of water bubbled forth to fill a depression, then continued to flow, causing much muttering and amazement amongst our guides. Agripinus went behind the tent and tried a second prayer, but nothing happened this time. Once the ponies had drunk their fill, we topped up our waterskins.
We were camped alongside a dried-up seasonal waterway, with some vegetation, which the trail had followed for a little while. The guides told us we were headed for Bnei oasis, which would take about three days. The porters erected a tent, while Badis got a fire going in a similar way to Si'aspiqo – he clicked his fingers and little flames appeared. We agreed that throughout the day one guide and one of us would be awake at all times, while Amphius rested for the whole day and spared his eyes from the sun.
We set out again the following evening and rested after about four hours and then continued. During this second period of travel, I suddenly found myself standing in the desert in the darkness with just Toxoanassa for company. Strangely, we felt like we had just awoken from dozing, and both vaguely remembered a conversation with someone but could not recall any more about it. We looked around and could see no sign of anyone else; I shouted and then we both listened carefully but heard nothing. How long we had wandered we did not know. The night was dark, with only a little starlight, so I lit a torch and we tried to follow our tracks back to where we had wandered away from the rest of the party.
Soon after we were glad to greet Amphius, who was following our tracks and a little later we met up with Baal-Shaq, our companions and one of the guides who were following the trail the Greek had marked. The rest of the guides had stayed with the porters and the two ponies.
Listening hard, Baal-Shaq could hear a voice or voices off to the east. After some discussion we decided to investigate…
From Sammus’s Boast:
Baal-Shaq had heard something far off to the East and there was a dry riverbed nearby, so Amphius led us in that direction. There was a lot of brush around and the night was quite dark with just a few stars visible amongst the clouds. Baal-Shaq and the rest of us followed after Amphius. Agripinus summoned the light of Tanit using his orb, which gave a bright yellow light, so Si'aspiqo and I extinguished our torches. Our guide, Ijjn, Mago and Toxoanassa were at the rear, with Agripinus and Si'aspiqo in the middle and Baal-Shaq and I behind Amphius.
After about 10 minutes, Toxoanassa noticed that Ijjn had disappeared. We called out to Amphius, and he found a trail that drifted away from our path. The Greek jogged after our guide who was soon found sleepwalking eastwards. Amphius decided just to follow the ensorcelled man, rather than awaken him, and whistled us to follow him.
Not long thereafter I also started to sleep-walk and drift off course, but Si'aspiqo woke me with a tingling nerve shock. Amphius could hear something from ahead and fell back to join the group at which point Si'aspiqo used the tokens we wore to cast protection from evil on Amphius, myself, Toxoanassa, Mago in turn and then finally himself.
Baal-Shaq and Amphius headed on and once Si'aspiqo had cast his protection on me, I hurried after them. Agripinus summoned a protection on himself and started singing a hymn to Tanit. Ahead I saw Baal-Shaq and Amphius step down into the dried-up riverbed, still following our guide. They crossed the riverbed and ascended the other side into some brush. As I ascended after them, I could hear the sound of scuffling ahead and soon, by the light of Tanit, I saw that they were engaged with some shadowy figures that seemed to be made of sand. They looked like dust devils and because of the way they were whirling around it was difficult to see if there was just one or maybe as many as three.
Amphius dodged past one of the shadowy forms and tried to jostle the guide awake. Ijjn staggered and fell to the ground but did seem to regain consciousness. Baal-Shaq seemed to strike one of the figures firmly with his sword. I got near enough to strike, and decided there were two sand-spirits to engage. I missed the second one and Amphius struck with his silvered truncheon, but the weapon just seemed to pass through the dust devil as though it were just sand in the wind. I was struck by the sand-spirit and immediately felt drained and tired. Baal-Shaq seemed to strike firmly once more, and sand flew off the first dust devil. Ijjn scrambled away, and I missed with another blow, while Amphius dodged, but missed his blow. Agripinus strode forward and hit the first dust devil hard, so it sparkled into nothingness.
My next blow struck firm and true and sand flew off the remaining figure. Amphius again swished his truncheon through the sand, but then I hit it once more and it flew apart in all directions. We were left with fragments of bones and rags and rubbish at our feet; the desert night was quiet around us.
Looking around we saw four large monolithic stones in the brush in a rough circle, about six feet high and a pit with crumbling stone within. Amphius went down into the pit and found some desiccated corpses and piles of sand. The corpses looked like they were probably Numidian as they had the remnants of garments similar to those worn by our guide. Amphius searched carefully, while Si'aspiqo lit a small fire and then cast a couple of detect magic spells to aid the search.
Sifting through the sand, and searching the bodies, Amphius found the following: a gold ring, an iron sword, 3 pairs of leather boots, a carved ivory amulet with strange sigils carved on it, a silver bangle – quite well made but age darkened, two iron daggers, a heavy leather flask, well-made and stoppered with liquid inside, a spear, 4 gold Carthaginian coins, not recently made and 138 silver coins, one or two of which were Greek and the rest Carthaginian. Both the amulet and the flask were identified by Si'aspiqo as having some virtue of magic about them. The four menhirs appeared ancient with nothing obvious carved on them. They were too big for us to tumble over without equipment.
Baal-Shaq talked to Ijjn and found that they usually buried their dead in the desert, where they lay. Agripinus and Baal therefore prayed over the corpses we had found and then we buried them in the sand nearby.
Our guide was keen to leave, and we soon returned to the camp where the other guides and porters were waiting. They were pleased to see our safe return. Both the recently ensorcelled guide and I felt very tired and thirsty, so Agripinus called upon Tanit, and a spring of water appeared. The two of us and the ponies all drank greedily and Agripinus called on Tanit a second time; this time there was a smaller spring, but we were able to refill our waterskins and eventually Ijjn and I had slaked our thirst sufficiently.
Agripinus cast cure light wounds on me, and I felt less tired and thirsty. Baal-Shaq spoke to the guide for a while before he agreed to be healed by the power of Tanit, but soon he too was feeling much recovered.
Badis and Axil spoke to Baal-Shaq, who then explained that they were interested in what we had recovered from the lair of the Asuf, as these spirits were named by those that lived in the desert. Badis looked at the amulet and told Baal-Shaq that he recognised the runes – they were Numidian runes for resist pain, and he muttered something about the power of Baal. It was clear that Bardis was a wise person. He was a worshipper of Baal, but had knowledge of certain magical arts, such as being able to produce a small flame from his fingers. He could talk about magic and chatted to Si'aspiqo over the next period with the help of Baal-Shaq.
After two more nights of walking, we reached Beni oasis without further incident. We had been following a dried-up riverbed, and the first sign of the approaching oasis had been green vegetation and a few animals. This was a much smaller settlement than Abadla.
Si'aspiqo thought long about the flask and eventually he carefully removed the stopper. He had a tiny taste, and then a sniff. It smelt like refined spirit. He was not sure what it did, but it had some potency. While he pondered what it might do, he sealed it by his arts so it would keep without spoiling.
From Sammus’s Boast:
We set out the evening after arriving at Beni oasis, 22nd December. As we started to make camp at the end of the first day’s march Amphius disturbed a large cobra, but with good fortune he avoided it and let it slither away. After another night’s travel, we arrived at the small oasis of Ouata. We rested on the outskirts as our guides discussed passage with the inhabitants. We had seen bats flying at night and heard the scurrying of mice during the day in the grasses on the approach to the oasis, but otherwise we saw no sign of life until we reached the oasis.
We continued on the next night under a clear sky. During the night the party blundered across a carpet of grasshoppers or locusts, which hopped or flew in all directions into the darkness. Amongst them was a scorpion that I failed to notice in the dark, fortunately it scuttled around my feet and disappeared. Baal-Shaq told us that our guides call them the man-killers – or androkteinein according to Amphius – and that it was best not to be stung by one. Our guides caught many of the fat grasshoppers and put them in a bag and cooked them in a frying pan when we made camp. They were surprisingly tasty.
At dusk as we prepared to set out again, Si'aspiqo heard a snake as he relieved himself. He moved away and once he had finished, called the rest of us over. The snake was a hissing viper, with a white belly and beautiful brown and white mottled skin. The guides told us it was venomous and aggressive, so we left it undisturbed and set out. Later that night Amphius heard some rustling and then the sound of galloping; It was a small family of slender deer with stubby horns, which the guides called Endi. After a short discussion, we took a break and Amphius, Mago and Toxoanassa went hunting for deer. Toxoanassa managed to shoot one and the hunters returned in triumph. The deer weighed around 25 kilos, with dark fur and two stumpy horns. The deer was skinned, and butchered and Si'aspiqo was given one horn and Mago the other.
It took us two nights’ travel in all to go from Ouata to Timoudi, which is a much larger oasis. The trail went through communal farmland around the oasis and shortly before dawn as we passed through plantations less than a mile from our destination, we saw a native woman crying over a sick child at the side of the road. There were discussions between our guides, Baal-Shaq, Agripinus and the woman. The child was completely limp and did not look well at all. Baal-Shaq told us that this was a tricky situation; the child had a virulent fever, and the woman had been told to abandon it, but she had been unwilling. Agripinus tried to help the child and then broke off to welcome the dawn. Baal-Shaq decided we should make camp here.
Once his ceremony was complete Agripinus muttered and muttered again, and water appeared from a spring into a depression he had made, and the ponies drank while we set up camp. Agripinus made more water appear and said more words over the child. He told us that the child had scarlet fever and was on the brink of death and he had done what he could. Later that morning Agripinus reported that the child had not died and maybe the fever was less intense. Workers had arrived at the location and the guides chatted to them and then someone more important turned up and talked to Axil and Baal-Shaq and I saw them pointing at the woman and child. Baal-Shaq said we would continue to camp here. He told us that the woman had been told to abandon the child and did not want to go back to settlement. There was evidently concern over the spread of fever.
By noon Agripinus felt the child had rallied. A compromise was reached with the man from the settlement where the woman could take her child to her home and Agripinus could go with them and the rest of us could continue to the oasis. Ebeggi and Toxoanassa followed Agripinus who went with the mother and child, while the rest of us went on to the oasis. There was a large pond of open water, some scattered buildings, and more greenery than anywhere since we left Abadla. We were shown to a livestock kraal and set up camp within. There were a lot of people staring at us and jabbering in Numidian and I could see that a crowd of small boys were following Toxoanassa.
At dusk Baal-Shaq spoke to the elders of the settlement. They went to talk to Agripinus and Amphius, Si'aspiqo and I accompanied them. There was still a crowd of boys hanging about and watching the Scythian. Agripinus emerged from the woman’s hut and a conversation between him and the elders was facilitated By Baal-Shaq. He was trying to calm things down and be diplomatic, but it was clear that the locals were unhappy. Eventually the elders marched off and Agripinus said he would speak to the goddess. Baal-Shaq explained that the local wise men were unhappy that a foreign mystic was robbing their oasis of water. If he really wanted to help, they said, he should make it rain. Agripinus had explained that he would ask Tanit to make it rain, but it was not something he normally did.
We ate the gazelle at dusk, and I spent the night between watching Agripinus and back in our camp. I noticed a cat in amongst the buildings rustling around, but the night passed without attack. Part way through Ebeggi was relieved by Ghanim on watch at the hut and neither of them seemed happy with their role.
In the morning the Elders arrived and Agripinus told Baal-Shaq to tell them that he had spoken to Tanit, and she had told him it would rain in four days’ time. Baal-Shaq asked him if he was sure and once the priest had repeated this, Baal-Shaq announced it in Numidian. The Elders muttered amongst themselves and agreed that this would be big news if true, but they would wait and see. Baal-Shaq told us that we were going to be here for four days, and that we had better hope Agripinus was right.
Badis and Ittu told us of the Mound of the Jabbarin nearby, where there were large stones supposedly erected by ancient giants; this seemed worth a look. Leaving Agripinus and Mago behind, Badis, Ittu, Amphius, Toxoanassa, Si'aspiqo and I set out a couple of hours before dawn with some extra waterskins.
It took a few hours walking across the sand but when we arrived, I saw two very large rectangular stones with a third laid across the top, in the form of a trilithon, which are quite common in my homeland – how far away that now seemed. They were on top of a mound of very weathered sand and stone. Si'aspiqo investigated but found no magic, just hints of metal or iron. He pried away some sand and found some rust, maybe a broken piece of a knife and then a fragment of a fitting or buckle from a belt or a harness.
Meanwhile Amphius investigated the sizeable mound looking for some way in but found nothing. The stones were very weathered and had obviously been here a very long time indeed. The colour of the stones suggested they had been brought here from elsewhere, but we couldn’t imagine how this could have been done, unless by giants. It was sunny and hot under a cloudless blue sky, so it didn’t look as though there would be rain anytime soon.
We arrived back at the oasis safely around dusk and rested in camp. Dawn arrived with a brilliant clear sky, with not a breath of wind or sign of a cloud. The child had recovered, and the woman was very grateful. She and Agripinus both seemed healthy, with no sign of fever. Amphius bought some pottery bowls to catch water to take a bath to show his confidence in Agripinus. We rested during the warmth of the day, while Baal-Shaq prayed earnestly to the King of the Heavens and the bearers loafed, enjoying the break. There was a brilliant purple twilight at dusk.
Before dawn Si'aspiqo felt a wind rising and was sure rain was coming from the West as clouds began to cover the sky. By the morning it was cloudy, as the wind brought more in from the West and the sky darkened; later in the day, it rained. I wasn’t impressed by the amount of water that hit the ground, but the locals seemed grateful and joyful. Amphius even had enough for his wash. Agripinus pointed to the rain falling from the sky and the Elders agreed he was not a charlatan. Baal-Shaq was very relieved, and our guides were cheerful, as we could now continue our journey and they could return here in good standing.
From Si'aspiqo’s Wheeze:
Rain fell during the 29th day of the 12th month and was spitting on into the night, and so we left Timoudi walking across damp sand. Some of the porters found this quite unusual, commenting about the ‘muddy’ sensation underfoot, if my beginning pidgin Berber served. The fitful rain and the relative coolth continued into the next day with the sun obscured by clouds.
The second night on the trail, that of the 30th day, we were still travelling over slightly damped sand though there was no more rain. Here and there were fuzzes of green shoots. Eventually we were distracted from contemplating the unfortunate necessity of crushing eager, hopeful young greenery under our boots and sandals and pony hooves, by Amphius reporting a contact, which our companion guides identified from tracks as a golden wolf, a rare beast with a valuable pelt.
There was a brief discussion whether a pelt might be worth a delay, but Agripinus felt the faster progress we were making on the firmer damp sand should not be wasted, given the delays at Timoudi, with which Baal-Shak agreed and so ended the discussion in short order. We pressed on for the rest of the second night.
In the day the clouds cleared, so warmth returned as we took our rest. We set off on our third night’s travel, 31st day, under a clear starlit sky, proceeding as expected until in the early morning well before any sign of the dawn, came a Berber cry from our forward scouts: “Jabba! Jabba!”, which sounded full of alarm, and was accompnied by calls for assistance from Amphius.
Various of us hurried forward from the middle part of the party to find Amphius and some of our guides at the edge of a sandy pit, one part of which had given way as guide Ijju walked by unheeding, trapping him in a sand-slide down at the bottom of the pit. His comrade Ghanim was making his way down the slide-prone pit side, trying to reach Ijju without burying him completely in further sand falls, while Amphius was trying to throw a rope end to the trapped man.
My observation was of a depression some 20 feet across and perhaps a third to a half that deep. Unsurprising that the sides slide easily and I was in mind of the the pits of the ant-lion, writ large. Certainly the trapped guide seemed to be calling out in pain as if stung perhaps, more than just fallen or trapped in a quicksand.
Having little to offer in that matter of climbing nimbly into carefully unstable sand and performing rescue by main force, I contented myself by falling off the pony as a rapid way to dismount – planned I assure you – lighting a torch and standing none-too-close to the pit’s rim to make the location clearer for all following and perhaps assisting those in and around the pit. Any but Amphius of course, who was saved some of the, for him, searing glare as he had his back to me.
There was a lot of throwing and hauling of ropes as Ijju in the centre slowly sank deeper through his struggles. His friend Ghanim, alongside, had to chose one of several ropes to secure himself, but then the sinking man screamed and convulsed, disappearing almost entirely as sand puffed up, sparkling in the torchfirelight. His roped companion caught Ijju by a spasming hand just in time to prevent it and him disappearing forever.
Agripinus, his rope lying ignored, jumped down into the pit, but controlled his slide to the bottom. Amphius took up the slack on his rope, attached to Ghanim, by walking backwards from the lip, but found himself pulled back as the sand quaked and Ghanim moved to catch his disappearing friend. Agripinus prayed to Tanit to protect the the soul of the trapped, nigh-disappeared, Ijju.
A third wave of assistance arrived in the forms of Toxoanassa, Sammus and Baal-Shaq. Toxoanassa had another rope noosed ready to throw, Sammus helped anchor Amphius, but Baal-Shaq kept running, not breaking pace until he was running on air, and landed in the pit.
The action in the pit became a mass of writing bodies and snaking or twanging ropes in a haze of dust, with cacophony of screams, thuds, shouted instructions and prayers to accompany it. When the dust cleared the be-roped Ghanim had been dragged out of the pit without his close comrade, Ijju, who was now sustained only by Agripinus’s prayers. Baal-Shak seemed to be venting some rage at the shambles by forcefully thrusting his sword into the sand at the bottom of the pit. The victim, Ijju, though somewhat extracted by the disparate balance of various tugging forces moments earlier, started to sink once more, until Agripinus brought to mind the aphorism that gods help them that help themselves and took a firm hold on the him rather than spending breath on calling Tanit, thus arresting a second, or maybe third, disappearance.
Anchoring Amphius being no sort of challenge as the rope was freed down in the pit, Sammus looped the rope around himself and scrambled down, anchored by Amphius and guide Bardis, while Toxoanassa braced her rope for the recently extracted Ghanim to climb back down to his comrade...
More coordinated pulling, perhaps less hampered by any panic actions by the Ijju, or indeed any actions at all by him, allowed the various tuggers to extract him from the sand and drag him back to the lip, while Baal-Shaq conducted some sort of slow, deep-stabbing fight with the sand of the pit itself. Sammus jumped back into the pit, for fear of missing out of a fight, stabbing the sand with his short sword up to the elbow of his long arm. Something beneath the sand seemed to wriggle, he he said later, so he stabbed again and again...
Baal-shaq paused, poised with his sword high, as sand danced out of rhythm with Sammus’s blows. Seeing Baal-Shaq, Sammus too ceased. The sand grew still. They carefully left the pit for Baal-shaq to talk with the gathering guides at some length. This is the trap of a Jabba Worm, they said. A very big one.
Ijju, on examination by Agripinus, was found with puncture wounds to his legs, ripped into tears by his forceful extraction from the sand and whatever the worm gripped him with, which wounds oozed a miz of dark venom and sluggish blood until Agripinus laved them with Holy Water of Tanit and prayed mightily for that such serious wounds be cured. And Tanit had mercy. Though the subject was not a follower, he would be a believer...
While Agripinus persuaded his god of the value of that investment in future reputation I listened to Baal-Shaq’s summary of the guides’ knowledge of the Jabbar worm. This could be summarised ‘possibly profitable — if it be dead not just hiding, nursing its wounds and its wrath, in the depths’.
As no one seemed inclined to get into the pit for speculative digging in the first faint lightening for the pre-predawn hour, I put out the torch and focussed on the poison-stained rags cut away from the Ijju's legs. If I could feel through the Unseen for the creature that was the source of that poison...? No, the poison was too contaminated by human blood and there were too many containers of human blood standing gawping all around me. Hmph.
So, would digging up the Jabbar Worm’s pit bring us fortunate times or disaster in its larder? A scatter of bones and minor idols from my pouch — I shaln’t go into the detail of why this 11th hour of the night became a propitious time to ask — but, well, well — “more likely than not…” would be a summary reading of the signs.
So there was a better than even chance of profit and as we were not likely to go much further before sunrise anyway… The decision was easy.
Baal-Shaq assigned Sammus to digging with Amphius keeping lookout until the sun rose, himself and Agrippinus stood with weapons ready should the sand start to move on its own again. It did not, for a fanged, barbed head was dug out, then its separated body, a wormlike tube some 20ft long.
There was no loot from the misfortunes of other less unlucky travellers, disappointing the expectations of some. Badis said this thing would have come from the deep desert, called by the recent rain and the chance of damp sand suitable for making its pit. Likely we were the first passers-by and left the way safer by our passing. However, its hide would be of worth in trade and the meat might be prepared to make it edible – though perhaps not this amount he said, looking at the 20ft length of the body, a span thick. More interestingly the head yielded intact one of two poison glands to Sammus’s meat carvings and the hollow fangs used to deliver it seemed intacte despite being wrenched from Ijju's leg. This venom is tricky stuff; I had already had a small accident by contaminating a scratched finger, which was by then numbed to all sensation. But this was known in the lore of Badis’s people. It would pass, which made a complete gland a useful tool for physic “Make heal, no pain good” says Badis. So I preserve the gland in small pot with a rite of sealing. Some spillage reconfirms the numbing properties… We also retained the sharp hollow fangs, rasping manibles, and roughly skinned hide to be made leather.
There remained one night and perhaps a further half of travel to Adrar oasis; the victim was weak and woozy from the venom, but more importantly unable to walk until the deep damage to his leg healed. Toxoanassa reckoned once he could sit on a pony she could steady him. But by the morning of the first day of the new year – in some calendars – and despite Agrippinus’s continuing attentions, Ijju was still too affected by the venom to sit up, never mind consider riding.
So we kept camp and those with the skills processed the worm meat and hide. The limiting factor for the meat was firewood to boil water for seething the meat before carving, then wind- and sun-drying it. I spent a lot of time and spell-mutterings that day tending the fire, keeping the burn just so to best use the fuel we had.
By the night of the first day of the new year the numbness and weakness of our friend Ijju had abated somewhat so we set off, slowed by me walking and having to take more breaks than anyone else. Though I may have had sore feet, trembling legs and the wheezing returning from gasping for breath in dusty air, at least my tail bone did not ache from sitting on a pony all night.
The second day of the new year passed in as undisturbed rest as is practical in bright sun in the desert. It was then a leisurely stroll that should perhaps have been a half night under our normal arrangements, but again I was forced to walk, slowing our passage to the oasis of Adrar.
We arrived at Adrar in the early morning of the third day of the year, without incident. Until, that is, our daytime rest was broken by the Elders of the oasis arrival, clamouring for our miracle worker to make it rain here, too. Amphius was puzzled how word of the miracles could have preceded us, but Baal-Shaq’s brow was thunderous as he caught sight of some of the guides and bearers telling tales of the wonders they have seen in trade for water, date wine and fresh food...
Agripinus was very reluctant to call on Tanit again for a weather forecast, let alone to make water fall from the sky. At least not without proselytising a little, to placate Tanit. Baal-Shaq, dedicated to Baal as a child, he told us once, pointed out these villagers and their elders are all followers of Baal and that he really couldn’t advise such a move. This goes and fro for a while, but with the Elders insistent eventually Agripinus agreed to seek the his god’s guidance as to when there would next be rain hereabouts and requested a small, quiet, private place he might use to commune with Tanit.
So he was awarded the use of largest building of the oasis, with the Elders seated outside peering through the doorway (and occasionally shooing away the close to the half of the village peering in over their heads). Perhaps much encouraged by the moral support of Amphius, who stood by ready with sponge, backbrush, bathrobe (and veil against the bright, warm sun), Agripinus communed. When he emerged to say there would be rain in two days time, were a sheep to be sacrificed, it was quickly done lest a fickle foreign god’s favour failed. Which meant, of course, we must we must wait here two days. More time for the tanning of jabba-leather. And reading scrolls.
Baal-Shaq said that the next stage of the journey – if we got away damp enough to depart without trouble – would be the three and a half nights to Regane oasis and the end of the Ajjer lands. There we should wait for the Kel Ere to take us south.
The next day, fourth of the year, was sunny, but I sniffed a change coming, as Tanit promised, and that night turned cool as the wind shifted to west and then north of west. Later on in the fifth day of the year it rained, for whole minutes at at a time! The locals people were ecstatic. Amphius’s bath robe was dampened, doubtless to his joy too. Agripinus was hailed a true miracle worker and doubtless many tales will be told of his works before we pass this way again.
Baal-Shaq sighed his relief and ordered all to rest, make ready for departure for Regane at the setting of the sun.
From Sammus’s Boast:
We were ready to leave at dusk on 29th December. We travelled through the night and there were a few drops of rain as we marched. The next day was cooler as the sun was blocked by clouds. On the second night we travelled on through slightly damp sand and saw a few green things had surprisingly poked through. During the night Amphius reported seeing an animal of some kind and he found tracks of a golden wolf which was thought to have a very valuable hide, but Agripinus thought we should continue while we were making good progress and Baal-Shaq agreed.
That day the clouds cleared, and it warmed up. We set off again at dusk and about 2 in the morning there was a cry of alarm from the front of the party. Amphius called for help and guides were shouting “Jabba!”, or something like that, to each other.
There was a depression in the ground ahead and Amphius threw the end of a rope down into it. A guide, Ijju, was down there, calling out in pain, and I thought he might be in quicksand. He didn’t notice the rope. A second guide, Ghanim, was trying to pull him out, while Amphius tried to flick the rope towards the guides. Si'aspiqo rode closer and tried to dismount, but the pony was skittish. Ghanim grabbed the rope and tied it round himself, but Ijju started sinking into the sand. Agripinus tried to throw a second rope, which was attached to a pony. Ijju had now almost disappeared as though he was being forcefully swallowed, but the Ghanim managed to grab a hand.
Agripinus drew a weapon and scrambled and slid down the slope. Amphius started to walk back pulling the rope. Si'aspiqo held out a lit torch to illuminate the pit. Amphius was pulled back a step or two as Ijju disappeared up to his hands and Ghanim started to disappear. Agripinus felt soft sand, getting softer beneath him. He muttered a prayer and cast protection from evil after grabbing Ijju’s arm. Toxoanassa, Baal-Shaq and I all arrived. Toxoanassa made a lasso and I grabbed Amphius’s rope, while Baal-Shaq went straight into the pit.
Amphius and I pulled on the rope and Badis arrived. Si'aspiqo had dismounted and started to prepare magic. Between two of us pulling on the rope, Agripinus and Ghanim, we managed to pull Ijju’s head out. Bardis joined in pulling the rope. Agripinus cast remove fear on the guide. He seemed to be weakening and his movements were slowing. I felt I was making progress, although Amphius slipped. Toxoanassa tried to lasso Ghanim, and the rope landed on him around the shoulders. She waited to see if it would drop down around his waist.
Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip to try to determine if this was natural or there was something behind it. Meanwhile, Agripinus grabbed Ijju’s other arm, Amphius dropped the rope, but I pulled very strongly, and with help from Bardis, we pulled so hard that Ijju lost his grip. Agripinus managed to get more of the sunken guide out of the sand, but he was weakening further.
Baal-Shaq gave a shout and seemed to be digging or poking at something in the sand. I tried to wrap the rope around me and reach down for Ijju. Whatever had hold of him seemed to give a fierce tug, but Agripinus still had hold of him. I went down into the pit to grab hold of Agripinus, and Ghanim helped. Agripinus and I made progress, but Ijju had now gone limp and was semi-conscious. Baal-Shaq was stabbing into the sand. Almost his whole shoulder was in the sand.
As we pulled, Ijju flew out of the pit, while Baal-Shaq continued poking with his sword. I joined Baal-Shaq and felt I had stabbed something moving under the sand. Badis and Toxoanassa pulled Ijju out and Agripinus and Amphius looked to help him. There seemed to be lacerations on his calf. I stabbed again and my sword bit deeply into something I felt wriggling. The other guides arrived as Agripinus gave first aid. Baal-Shaq was standing poised with his sword, listening. I stabbed sand but felt a rattle beside me.
The wounded man looked exhausted or drugged in the torchlight. He had two large puncture wounds, on either side of his calf, from which blood and something very dark oozed. Agripinus cleaned the wound with holy water and bandaged it and then muttered a healing prayer. Baal-Shaq told me that either we had got it, or it was waiting for us to move. He indicated that I should stand ready with my sword and then he wiggled his feet a couple of times, but nothing reacted. We then retreated in turn from the pit.
The guides discussed with Baal-Shaq, and he explained that this had been a Jabba worm, maybe encouraged by the rain, which had dug this pit as a trap. Baal-Shaq asked Si'aspiqo if he could tell if it was still alive. Using the black stain from my sword, he cast a cantrip to feel the creature. He thought it was probably dead. Baal-Shaq stuck a torch in the sand and then moved a little away and muttered. On his return he told us that the spirits told him that it might be worth digging a little as the worm might be close. Bardis said the hide of the worm could be valuable, the meat could be eaten if prepared correctly, and the poison could be used in healing. I set to digging out the body, while Baal-Shaq stood poised with his sword and Toxoanassa with a rope, and Amphius watched for movement.
Si'aspiqo tried to cast a spell, but he found he had a cut and some of the dark ichor had got to it. His fingers went numb and felt cool. I dug up the head and then found the body of the worm, which was like a thick and heavy eel. There were no eyes, just a barbed pincer and two antennae protruding from the head. I tied a rope around it and with more digging we got the body out – it was 20 feet long, and 8 inches in diameter at the widest point. The head had been severed.
The guides suggested we camp there. They seemed very happy to have all survived and impressed by how we had killed the Jabba worm. Amphius looked to see if there was anything else in the pit, but Badis, helped by Baal-Shaq, explained its lair might have been far away and it had just dug here after the rain. He added that this had been a great service to travelers. Smaller ones were more common, but this one had been fully grown.
It was a day and a half’s travel to the next oasis. Ijju was very weak, but Toxoanassa was confident she could keep him upright in the saddle, so Si'aspiqo would have to give up his ride. Ijju said his lips were numb, but he could move his limbs, even though they were very weak. He could be fed and given water to drink. Agripinus muttered another healing prayer before dawn.
We skinned the worm in three cylindrical sections, each of which opened into a rectangle. Bardis asked if we had oil, so that when the sun came up the outer part could be oiled, and the sun would dry the inner part. He told me where the poison glands were; I dissected the head and found two hollow needle-like mandibles and followed them back to find glands. I extracted one, but the other leaked. Badis explained that this could be used to eliminate pain. Si'aspiqo took some ground charcoal from a pot and put it in a twist of cloth. He used the pot to collect the venom from the gland and sealed it with an alchemical seal. Most of the venom was collected. We also took the hide and the mandibles.
We rested until dusk, and the guides spread the hide in the sun. Badis asked if it was possible to summon more water to boil some of the meat and Agripinus did so, while the guides gathered some brush and built a fire, which was lit by Badis. Si'aspiqo lowered the flames so that it used less fuel and some of the worm meat was boiled, cut into thin strips, and then dried in sun. Agripinus muttered another prayer for the injured guide to cure disease, and we set off for the night.
That night passed quietly, and our guides thought we were half a night’s travel to the oasis at Adrar. We rested for the day and then reached Adrar around midnight. There was much talk about Jabba worms and an inspection by the council of Elders of the worm parts. A delegation of Elders came to speak during the day and there was a lot of talk with Baal-Shaq, who looked resigned. He told us that word of the holy man had reached them, and they asked him to make it rain like he had in Timoudi. Agripinus asked Baal-Shaq to try to tell them that he couldn’t make it rain, but he might be able to ask Tanit when it might rain. Baal-Shaq didn’t think he could convince them, but it was important to maintain good relations. He convinced Agripinus to perform a religious ceremony where he could commune with the Goddess.
He was shown into the largest building in the village and all the villagers gathered outside to watch. After the Ceremony, Agripinus told them it would rain in two days’ time. We had to wait two days to see if his prophecy was correct and the locals sacrificed a sheep.
By now the hide was quite hard – the leather was marbled and rippled; it might be quite valuable when finished. Our guides also prepared more meat, although some would have to be left behind when we departed. Si'aspiqo kept some offcuts to use as a fetish. Amphius prepared for another bath.
The next day was brilliantly sunny but overnight a cool wind began from the North and Northwest and tendrils of cloud arrived. Most of the inhabitants were out looking at the sky. Si'aspiqo sniffed at the wind, and thought rain was on its way. Later in the day the rain started. It still looked insignificant to me, but the locals were very happy, even more so than in Timoudi. Baal-Shaq looked unhappy. He held a briefing and warned the guides to say no more about the rain, as it was obviously them that had told the Elders. We set off for Regane at dusk.
From Sammus’s Boast:
It was the evening of 8th January when we set out from Adrar Oasis. The ground was damp after the rain, so we made good progress and then made camp just after dawn. Amphius noticed tracks of a reasonably sized snake leading into the scrub, but we ignored them. The next evening, we heard bats hunting insects but otherwise the march was uneventful. The next evening continued fair, with a warm wind from the southwest. As we made camp the next morning and Agripinus was providing water for the ponies, myself and the other hunters all spotted the tracks of a large creature with clawed feet and a tail. Baal-Shaq told us that the guides thought it was a meat-eating lizard, probably longer than a man. They said there would be a lot of meat on them, but we ignored the tracks and rested for the day.
It was another hot day, but cooler by the evening when we set out. During the evening as we marched, I heard Baal-Shaq talking to the guides. He seemed to be making it clear that they were not to mention Agripinus having made it rain. I did notice that our guides seemed much friendlier after the jabba worm, in particular Ijju had been very grateful and thanked everyone for saving his life. We approached the next oasis around midnight and the guides called out. We were invited into a central area where there were a few buildings. There was a conversation in Numidian and Baal-Shaq informed us that the Elders greeted us and our coming had been expected. We were going to the stronghold of Boujje, just south of the oasis and Boujje would speak to us.
We were led south and soon came to a strange stone block, in four layers, each layer slightly smaller than the one below it, although they were all the same height. I found out by the light of day that it was actually mud bricks. Si'aspiqo explained that this was called a ziggurat. On the roof of the fourth storey was a tent or awning. There was an oval shaped mud wall, and the ziggurat was at one end and the gate through the wall at the opposite end. Half of the oval was split into animal pens by dry stone dykes, and I could hear chickens and goats. We were conveyed towards the base of the ziggurat where there was a rickety wooden staircase going up the second level where there was a narrow, arched doorway. Evidently the staircase could be easily destroyed for defensive purposes.
Within there was a meeting hall with torches and candles and the smell of spices or incense. There we met a man with a shaven head, and a long, curled, iron-grey beard. He greeted us in Punic: “Welcome Baal-Shaq”, adding a pertinent greeting to each in turn. He evidently knew much about each of us already. He asked Baal-Shaq if we could keep a secret and Baal-Shaq said that we would keep an oath and explained how we had all helped save Ijju and had slain the jabba worm. Boujje did not look Numidian but was a person of local power and respect.
Food and drink were supplied. We sat down and he had conversation with each of us. He spoke to Si'aspiqo in accented Egyptian, saying that this was a hard journey for one of his years and that he was welcome to stay here in the shade until Baal-Shaq returned – they might have much to discuss. He discussed Amphius’s eyesight speculating that he had been cursed by the Gods. It was beyond his power to change that. Amphius denied that it was a curse, admitting though that it might have resulted from his greed. Boujje compared his sight to that of an owl. He thought he could do something to improve the shade offered by a hat for the Greek.
He wished to know of my homeland and in exchange for words of there, he offered a tattoo of health. He knew that Toxoanassa was from a green sea of grass and saw no fear in her. He warned her that the light that burnt twice as bright burnt half as long. Agripinus was warned not to cause water to spring forth from the earth in the deep desert and not to preach at the Kel Ayr, for this would offend them.
Baal-Shaq told us all that we had come to the point of decision. He warned that no man could live in the real desert and that there were things there he had sworn to keep silent. We would also need to take an oath to Baal to continue, as the Kel Ayr worshipped Baal. It would be three weeks to Maktar and a further three weeks to Kuku, the end of the journey, where they spoke a different language. The way ahead would be hard and he had made the journey alone many times he told us; Boujje had offered hospitality to any who wished to wait here, and we should consider our options. There appeared to be water here, maybe a well under the ziggurat. Boujje told us that the ponies would be looked after, and we could leave anything else we could not take with us.
We went to a separate area to discuss our plans. When asked, Baal-Shaq admitted that he never thought to take the ponies across the desert. Si'aspiqo said that he was aware of the difficult journey ahead and although it would be interesting to talk to Boujje, he would continue. I told Baal-Shaq that I followed the iron road, and although I was willing to tell Boujje of my homeland, I would continue with Baal-Shaq. Amphius and Toxoanassa also said that they would continue.
The next afternoon we talked once more with Boujje. The guides gave us all the requisites from the jabba worm in gratitude for saving Ijju’s life, so we traded for these with Boujje.
Baal-Shaq gave the iron sword to the guide who had led us to the place of the undead, the daggers to Ijju and Ghanim, and the spear to another guide. Si'aspiqo took Badis aside and told him he would teach him a cantrip as discussed, on the return trip. Baal-Shaq gave a little extra money to Axil and Badis.
Si'aspiqo and Amphius put in 50gp each for the amulet of hardiness and it was agreed that Si'aspiqo would use it to cross the desert and back and then it would go to Amphius. I put in 30gp for the silver bracelet and 20gp for the gold ring. Boujje identified the flask as containing 4 doses of healing and traded a similar flask of four shots of healing for the Jabba worm poison. For the meat from the jabba worm he traded a quarter of the amount in dried, preserved meat. It would last indefinitely and give salt and sustenance. There should be enough to last the party up to a week.
He looked at the leather and said that it had been well started and Badis had learnt well. For this he traded a shield and a tattoo of either health or luck. The shield was a finely made buckler, that was made of the same leather, it was very light, with a bronze boss, but the leather was also very hard. I agreed to take the buckler and pay for it on our return. Mago won the drawing of lots for the tattoo.
While discussing possible trades, Boujje mentioned natron (pellets used in worship, which could help communing with the Gods and was also used for preservation of the dead), Egyptian blue (this could turn copper and other things blue and could be used in arcane recipes), and Frankincense oil from Kush.
For the jabba worm poison he traded a flask containing 4 doses of healing and 2 flasks of painkill, each with 3 doses for serious wounds. For the mandibles he traded two bright burning torches, each one of which would burn brighter and longer than a normal one.
We gave a small gift of some deer horns and fur to Boujje.
From Sammus’s Boast:
We spent an extra day at the Ziggurat and both Agripinus and Mago agreed they would accompany Baal-Shaq across the desert. Mago got his tattoo and Amphius got a new snakeskin band for his hat. His face now appeared to be in the shade during the day as the hat seemed to cast a very dark shadow, indeed his whole body seemed to be shadowed – Si'aspiqo commented that he had always thought Amphius a shady character!
During the day Baal-Shaq went out with a few bearers into the desert with bearers, returning prior to dusk to tell us he had contacted the Kel Ayr, who were waiting at the exchange. He had told the Kel Ayr that there were extra people and they had discussed water; we would each need to carry an extra water sack.
We said goodbye to our (Kel Ajjr) guides around dusk on 12th January and walked to exchange rock, arriving in the early evening, where we were greeted by a tall, athletic Numidian with a hawk nose, wearing very dark robes, a long sword and dagger. Baal-Shaq introduced him as Barsoom of the Kel Ayr and introduced each of us in turn. Barsoom paid particular attention to Toxoanassa and Baal-Shaq had obviously already explained about her. There was a very small fire to which he added some more kindling.
Baal-Shaq asked us each to swear to Baal to keep the ways of the Kel Ayr to ourselves. Agripinus swore to both Baal and Tanit and the rest of us just to Baal. After all, had sworn, Barsoom called into the desert and then we heard strange noises, shuffling and bellowing and six very large quadrupeds with humped backs emerged from the gloom. Only Si'aspiqo had seen creatures like this before and he told us they were camels. Baal-Shaq warned that the Ur-Camels of the Kel Ayr were very fierce but could carry much. He had brought a little less with him than normal to allow room for water and there might be space for one of us to ride. Si'aspiqo warned that the camels often spat. We were introduced to three more guides: Asmun, Barsoom’s brother who was shorter and stockier with a weather-beaten face and the same hawk nose; Mezian who was taller; and Buna who was slighter. They were armed with spear, buckler and dagger and one had a small, spindly hunting bow. One of the camels spat at Toxoanassa; they all seemed wary of her.
Barsoom’s camel was the tallest and was about 8 feet tall at the shoulder and he was the only rider when we set off and he led the way initially but then scouted around the group. The other guides walked, leading one or two camels each, and all the camels were heavily laden. We walked all night and then camped for the night and the Kel Ayr erected a small tent. Barsoom put out small flat stones in a circle around campsite, which Baal-Shaq explained were tokens of Baal to discourage spirits from approaching. Initially there seemed to be some expectation that Toxoanassa would prepare our food, but Baal-Shaq explained that she was a warrior and Buna prepared something with cheese and pieces of fruit.
We continued the next night heading south. We noticed that crumbs of something black were fed to the camels and they seemed to snort when they were given it. As we watched them more carefully, the camels, particularly the larger one, seemed to look back.
The next morning as we camped, we saw tracks leading to a burrow, but we ignored them. We set out again in the evening. We were all drinking 5 or 6 litres of water each day. The camels seemed to be able to carry a very large load and drank little, but we would need to renew our water supplies along the way. Baal-Shaq said that these were true desert camels prized by the Kel Ayr, sacred to Baal and not to be sold – one of the secrets of the desert. It was a very tiring walk and Si'aspiqo was exhausted at the end of each day, but his amulet had made a difference.
The third night we heard bats circling as we marched. Some of them seemed very large. There were smaller ones, which were after insects, but the larger ones seemed to be circling like vultures according to what Amphius could see. Baal-Shaq told us that the Kel Ayr believed they were following the woman. Everyone was interested when Amphius suggested he might hit one with an arrow. He was good to his word and one tumbled and almost hit the ground, before recovering and flying raggedly off, evading a second arrow. The second larger one also departed. Baal-Shaq congratulated him, and the guides looked at his bow with interest. Just before dawn we made camp again.
Each day was warmer than the last and we set off again as the sun dipped to the horizon. Around midnight our guides led us up into an outcrop of rock, which rose out of the deep sand. We followed a circuitous hard to follow path, which led to an open area above the desert with a small campsite with stone walls. The camels were put into a kraal and then two of the guides started digging in a corner and then disappeared, one after the other, underground with empty water sacks and then returned with them filled with water. Their two comrades waited at the entrance to what must have been a tunnel.
At dawn we could see we were well above the surrounding sand. There was a dry-stone dyke and an old circle of stones with burnt ashes within denoting long usage. There was a dark cave at one end where the Kel Ayr continued to fill water sacks. Toxoanassa found a small piece of carved, weathered onyx with an anthropomorphic shape. She took it to Baal-Shaq, and he showed it to Si'aspiqo who thought it might have wings but was not magic. It did not look like the tokens Barsoom had put out, which were flat. Baal-Shaq showed it to Barsoom and Baal-Shaq told us that Barsoom said it looked like it represented a flying demon or Shedim. He said it was from the old people. Barsoom did not want it, so Si'aspiqo kept it.
In the evening clouds appeared and the wind became gusty. The guides were muttering to each other and by dusk there were no signs of preparation for departure. Baal-Shaq explained that we were staying as there might be a storm. Extra ropes were used to secure the tent, and everything was moved to the lee of the stone dyke. More black stuff was given to the camels, which Agripinus thought was some sort of crumbly black stone, perhaps hard charcoal. Baal-Shaq explained the camels were creatures of Baal and this was part of their diet. By 9pm there was a sandstorm and sand blew in horizontally and we had zero visibility. We all hunkered down and rested. The storm continued until the middle of the next afternoon and sand built up in all the corners. We were all relieved to be up in secluded refuge, rather than in the open.
The storm had died down by dusk and the Kel Ayr decided we could leave. Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip to check the weather and did not feel there was bad weather ahead of us. We shook everything to get rid of all the sand and the Kel Ayr filled the last waterskins. As we prepared to leave, I came across a carved flake of rock in the sand which looked like an old flint arrowhead. The two archers agreed. It was a very small arrowhead, almost like it had been made for a child or darkling. The last guide put pieces of wood back across the tunnel and covered them in rocks and sand and then we left.
Barsoom enquired whether Si'aspiqo wished to sit on a camel. Baal-Shaq had deliberately taken less trade goods on this trip, to allow one camel for the use of any wounded. He advised Si'aspiqo that it would be best to save his strength, by riding the camel until it was needed. He explained that there would be food, water and rest at the end of the journey for the camels, until then just a little grain and leaves from any bushes plus the ground up blackness, which they enjoyed, was enough. The camel knelt, and Baal-Shaq warned Si'aspiqo to hold on tight. He got on and managed to hang on tight, while the camel stood and set off. Fortunately, it was a docile camel. It was easier for Si'aspiqo than walking.
We traveled for four further days without incident. The last of these days was cooler with a light wind from the west with sand in the wind which made navigation more difficult. We had seen no more bats and just a few signs of snakes and small animals.
Si'aspiqo carved a token and asked if he might make friends with his camel and there was a discussion between the guides and Baal-Shaq. The guides shrugged and agreed he could do this, but to beware, and then watched with interest. He tried to cast the spell animal friend, but the spell failed and the camel nipped him, much to the amusement of the guides.
The next night there were light winds from the southwest and during the night Amphius spotted several of the large bats circling above the camels. One of them swooped down and passed narrowly over the guide at the front. Amphius loosed an arrow at it but missed. Another bat pounced on Toxoanassa and scratched her. Mezian had hold of Si'aspiqo’s camel and everyone moved closer together and the camels all knelt. Agripinus muttered a prayer and summoned an arcane weapon ready to attack any bat he could see. He then warned everyone there would be light and started praying again. Amphius loosed another arrow and a bat crashed into the sand close to Si'aspiqo. Amphius tried to hit it again, but it evaded his arrow and flew back up. Agripinus cast his light of Tanit, and half covered it in his hand but there was still enough light to make out the bats. There was a strange clicking noise from above and we could see a few large flying bats, with a body the size of a dog and a wingspan like a man with his arms spread out. They did not like the light and they left the area, apart from two who circled at a distance. Agripinus tended to Toxoanassa’s scratch.
Si'aspiqo tried to check whether the bats were linked in some way to those from Kaskator and determined that the large ones seemed to be of a similar kind to the large ones from that place and that he would be able to detect them with the fetishes he had made. We walked on but made sure to stay in pairs and periodically Si'aspiqo checked for bats. We marched on until close to dawn at which point Amphius spotted a bat in range and loosed two arrows, the second of which struck home. The bat made a twittering or clicking noise and veered off. Si'aspiqo used his fetish and got a general direction for the bat although the clicking noise seemed to have come from a different direction. The bat that had been struck carried on circling but out of range. Si'aspiqo thought the bats were heading towards the sunrise.
We made camp at dawn, circled the camels and put up the tent. The guides believed we were now over halfway to the next water.
Party & company:
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From Sammus’s Boast:
We rested for the remainder of 23rd January and set off at dusk. Si'aspiqo used his magical abilities to help control the fires and fuel use at each stop. The wind died down during the night and temperatures cooled. Whenever we stopped, Si'aspiqo used his fetish to seek out large bats. He felt them out there and warned Amphius to keep watch. It was cloudy with no starlight and therefore very dark.
After a second stop we started to divert round some steep rock. We seemed to almost double back on ourselves but went through a tiny gully which opened out into a wider dark area. The camels seemed agitated, and we were warned not to stray from the path as there was deep sand off to the left. The trail ended up in a large cave and torches were lit. There was plenty of room for everyone and the camels too. Our guides pulled away some boulders at the back of the cave and disappeared down a tunnel carrying empty water sacks, returning soon after with water sacks filled. Amphius looked around outside and reported that we were in a corner of a rocky bowl with tall rocky walls all around and a large amount of deep sand covering the central area. The light from the cave was visible in the bowl but not in the desert beyond.
High above him in the shadows Amphius spotted some movement, just a shadow high up on a rock wall. He thought perhaps it was an animal. Si'aspiqo used his fetishes to cast some detects; there were large bats around, but he wasn’t sure whether there were Jabba worms.
Amphius reported that he had seen more movement and this time thought he saw a small humanoid figure. He wondered if there was another cave high up. Barsoom said that the shadows dug higher up in the walls, men did not go there. He did not know where caves might lead and advised us not to go out into the sand as Jabba worms lurked there.
Late in the night there were gusts of wind, but the sky started to lighten and then the pre-dawn appeared above the rocky wall where Amphius had seen what we suspected was a darkling. Large dark clouds appeared, and we sheltered in the cave and Baal-Shaq allocated us all to formal watches. Soon it started raining with one very heavy shower that the guides went out to watch. This was more impressive rain than either of the rains that Agripinus had predicted at our previous stops. There were more spots of rain on and off and it was cool and comfortable in the cave. We decided to rest another night as the sand would be wet.
During the night Si'aspiqo detected bats nearby probably circling above the bowl. Amphius kept watch outside and reported more motion and suspected we were being watched by Darklings. Si'aspiqo slept on the shedim token that Toxoanassa had found at our last stop. He was napping close to the fire and was spotted leaving the cave by Barsoom and one of the other guides. They ran outside and tackled him to the ground and brought him back inside. Baal-Shaq explained to Barsoom that the magician had been sleepwalking. They roused Si'aspiqo and told him that he had slowly left the cave and then started to speed up. He explained that this had not been under his own control. There was something unpleasant active in the token and he suspected that this might be why the bats were following. In some way or other the token seemed to be calling the faithful, in the way that idols were often a means of communication. He put protective sigils around the token.
The rest of the night was uneventful and Amphius spotted no more figures. Before dawn the skies cleared, and stars appeared.
At dusk the Kel Ayr were packed and ready to leave. By starlight and the first light of dawn the trail was much clearer, and we went back through the gulley and out into the desert. When we stopped for our first break, Si'aspiqo spotted a scorpion and cast a spell to order it away and any of its companions. Amphius spotted a few smaller bats, but there were also a couple of larger ones high in the sky, maybe the token still called. Agripinus had a small box and Si'aspiqo put the idol within and stuffed rags around it and Agripinus put a ward on it. Si'aspiqo could tell there were still bats up in the night skies and Amphius could see they were hovering out of bow shot. We stopped at dawn.
It was a calm, bright day and we rested undisturbed, setting off again at dusk. During the first stage of the march, something grabbed at Toxoanassa’s arm, but didn’t catch hold of her. Amphius noticed something behind her at the back of the caravan. Agripinus, Mago, Amphius and I all spotted a figure and rushed to investigate. Toxoanassa pulled out a dagger and stabbed a dark figure it as it tried to grab her and failed once more.
Amphius struck the figure with an arrow, and I cut it down. As it collapsed all that was left were desiccated flesh, bones and ragged Numidian desert robes, but it must once have been human. Our guides made signs against evil, and prayers were muttered to Baal, Tanit and Artemis as we moved on. The guides thought this one of the Idebni. Towards dawn there were tracks across our path, which our guides and Amphius thought were the feet of gazelle or deer. They were fresh tracks, but as we were not in need of supplies, we marched on until we made camp soon after as dawn broke. Si'aspiqo checked for bats and didn’t see any.
We set off again at dusk. Late in the night Amphius spotted some movement in the sand off to the left of the trail 50 to 100 yards away. He reported that there were small humanoid figures paralleling us and Barsoom charged off on his camel. Amphius ran after him, and Baal-Shaq and I followed more slowly. The small figures scattered as Barsoom neared them. Barsoom stabbed one with his spear, while Amphius chased one of the figures. Baal-Shaq and I soon met up with Barsoom, but Amphius was not in view. After a few minutes he appeared from the darkness with a bundle – a trussed-up Darkling. It looked like those from Kaskator – bald, dark-skinned, the size of a child and could see in the dark. Amphius had taken its dagger and it glared at the three of us with its dark eyes.
We returned to the party and Si'aspiqo spoke to it. He offered the Darkling food and drink in old Egyptian and explained that we just wanted to talk. It used what the magician told us was the Babylonian word for water and had understood him. The Darkling was given a handful of water which it drank and then a small amount of food. Si'aspiqo asked if it had been following us and it replied brokenly, “Follow trail, hunt, hunting for food. Bad if seen look like hunting us”.
Si'aspiqo asked who their chief was, their father and it replied, “Yes father, where you learn talk?”. Si'aspiqo told it he was a friend of Darklings and then took out a whistle he had been given by the Darklings in Kaskator and played a few notes. The Darkling immediately recognised this and said “Trader, trader! Long time, trade long time, nice trader, tell father you come trade. You bring woman.” Si'aspiqo explained that Toxoanassa was not available for trade and that we were passing not stopping. He warned that if the Darklings attacked us then more of them would die and so would their Father.
Si'aspiqo checked with Baal-Shaq and Baal-Shaq told him to tell the Darkling that we were servants of Baal and would take the head of any Darklings we saw along with the head of their father. He should also explain that he (Si'aspiqo) had interceded so that the Darklings could go this time and take a message. They should not be seen by any of us again. Barsoom threw the slain Darkling’s head at the feet of our captive, who snatched it up and made off into the darkness. The guides called the Darklings the Eli-jinen.
Agripinus went back to the Darkling corpse and removed the hands and then covered the remains with sand. From the two Darklings we had a bronze war axe and a hide shield, and a small, tarnished but still sharp iron knife. There was also a small arrow that Barsoom extracted for the saddlebags of his camel. It was very similar to the flint one I had found. We moved on a short distance and then set up camp.
Party & company:
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Party Loot
From Sammus’s Boast:
The next night, after the second break, the camels were led up a zigzag track up a rocky hill surrounded by sand. As we approached, I could make out a dark blob around the top. The track led between rocks and steep slopes and Amphius told us that the dark bob was a ruin of what was perhaps a mud brick ziggurat. As dawn arrived, I could make out a collapsed mound of mud bricks. In the corner the guides moved away rocks and revealed a tunnel. Again, they descended with empty water sacks, returning with them filled. I looked back to the north and could see a ridge of rock with three more jagged peaks. We were on the fourth peak where there were the ruins of a ziggurat. Barsoom through Baal-Shaq told us that no-one knew who had built it, but that it had been many lives of men ago. He also told us that we were nearing the end of the Erg – the deep desert. If our luck held, we would reach Moktar oasis, better sand and more regular water in the next week.
Toxoanassa and Agripinus stayed in the camp but Amphius, Mago, Si'aspiqo and I explored the ruins of the ziggurat. We were warned not to fall into the hole in the centre. There were piles of weather worn bricks in the centre and then a pit into darkness below. I noticed some of the bricks looked burnt. Si'aspiqo noticed a few scraps of charcoal and burnt wood. Looking into the darkness it looked like part of the ziggurat had collapsed into space below. There was no obvious way down.
I secured a rope around myself and used it to help Amphius climb down to look around. He saw a few bricks on the ground as the space narrowed, but then the rope went slack. I heard muffled words from below and heard some bricks fall. Amphius called again to say he was stuck, so I hauled the rope back up and then used it to help lower Mago. Mago spotted a hand sticking out of a pile of bricks and then keeping his foot in a loop of the rope he managed to free the Greek. With the help of the rope, they both climbed back out. Amphius described a funnel of broken bricks and said there was no obvious way into any other levels of the ziggurat, so we returned to the camp. Amphius was very dusty.
The rest of the day passed quietly, so the guides replaced the rocks covering the tunnel and we left at dusk on 30th January with replenished water sacks. We wound our way back down the switchback path back to the sand and resumed our march. About two thirds of the way through the night I heard a galloping camel as Barsoom raced off. Si'aspiqo told us there was something out there glowing, but he feared it might be a lure. We weren’t sure if Barsoom had been lured or was just investigating. The magician added that he thought he had seen an antelope with an ethereal glow. He used some hair from his camel to make a fetish and used magic to feel out for Barsoom’s camel. Baal-Shaq and Agripinus stayed with the other camels and guides and Amphius led the rest of us in following Barsoom’s tracks. Si'aspiqo lit a torch and dimmed it so we could follow the Greek but not spoil his night vision.
As well as Barsoom’s camel’s tracks Amphius also made out faint tracks that might have been a small deer. The camel seemed to be meandering around, but then we heard a galloping camel off to the northwest and Amphius saw a small silvery deer run by between us and the camel just under 200 yards away. The Greek ran off into the darkness away from the camel but probably in the direction of the deer and was lost to our sight.
We waited on some higher ground and Si'aspiqo made the torch burn brighter. After around 10 minutes Barsoom got back to us. We had a conversation in broken Numidian. Si'aspiqo said Baal-Shaq and pointed back the way we had come; I said Amphius and pointed in the direction he had gone. Barsoom followed my direction northwest.
After a few minutes, we heard the camel stomping and then some cries. Shortly afterwards the camel returned with Amphius mounted behind Barsoom. Amphius had followed the lure and then had been surprised by a very large undead humanoid, which had been very difficult to see. We all returned to the rest of the party. Baal-Shaq told us that Barsoom had told him it was a kind of shapeshifting demon, a Kamalton. It lured victims as a deer and then turned humanoid to attack and was very fast and strong. Our guides talked some more, and Baal-Shaq explained that camels would be too big for it, but it would take people or donkeys. We were warned that it might haunt us, and we would need silver or magic or maybe fire to damage it.
Agripinus stayed with the guides and Baal-Shaq came with us to track the demon. We returned to where Amphius had last seen it and looked for tracks. The Greek picked up strange shuffling tracks which might have been the silver deer and we followed them for an hour. He spotted some movement in the distance, something pale and silvery. Si'aspiqo cast a protection against evil on me and then I moved after the light as though I were ensorcelled, whilst my companions moved off together at a tangent.
Soon after I set off, a blot of darkness separated from the shadows and a figure attacked me at high speed, before I could raise my sword. I managed to keep off one of the blows with my shield, but the other clawed hand struck me. I parried two more blows, and then managed a riposte with my magic shortsword, which struck it in the left leg; it let out a gibbering howl. I parried another pair of blows, but I missed when I tried to respond. I was clawed twice more, but I struck it in his right leg. It let out another howl and seemed to slow a little. I was struck by another claw, but I hit its leg again. The Kamalton tried to break off by throwing sand in my face, but the sand missed me and even though it did turn and start to run off, I was pursuing closely, and it could not get away as I had slowed it with my blows to the leg. I was close enough to hit it again and this time I heard its leg snap; it went down. It dwindled into a crawling form, and I finished it off.
My comrades found me a couple of minutes later amongst the crumbling dust and a skull, which were all that remained of the Kamalton. We spotted a glint of gold and Si'aspiqo told us that it had some virtue. The skull did not seem the right shape to be human. I had taken four or five cuts and started to feel stiff, as did Amphius, who had been cut by the demon during his earlier encounter. The gold was a setting of carved stone – a scarab beetle. Si'aspiqo thought the scarab looked Egyptian, old and valuable. Baal-Shaq cleaned and bound my wounds and then we returned to the guides taking the scarab and skull with us.
Agripinus looked at the wounds Amphius and I had received, and he carried out a ritual to cure disease for both of us. The guides decided we would make camp where were as by now it was not long until dawn. They were very pleased when Baal-Shaq showed them the skull, delighted that the Kamalton had been eliminated.
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We all gathered firewood and then Si'aspiqo caused it to burn more fiercely. Agripinus carried out a ritual, splitting the Kamalton skull and throwing the pieces onto the fire where they burnt until consumed. Si'aspiqo investigated the scarab and then put it under his pillow while he slept. He thought it was protective and gave good fortune and decided to have it on his person for the time being.
At dusk on 31st January, we set out again, but Baal-Shaq had suggested a new march order with him and Barsoom at the front and Toxoanassa, Amphius and me as rearguard. He hoped to reach Moktar and leave the great Erg by the end of the day. There was a light wind from the southwest and it was a clear night. The desert seemed quiet.
Just after we had set off again after our first break, Amphius noticed movement behind us, and saw three shadows approaching. He sounded the alarm and struck one with an arrow, but it did not react. I moved to attack and an arrow from Toxoanassa struck another of the undead shadows or Asuf to no apparent effect. One was armed with a sword, and I hit it. This slowed the blow, but it still struck me and a cold claw from another Asuf also damaged me. Amphius put down his bow and pulled out his silvered club and a sword. A Scythian arrow narrowly missed him. I hacked into the torso of the sword armed Asuf, which crumbled to pieces, but another grappled me and tried to pull me into the desert. Amphius hit one of the two remaining shadows with his sword, but the blow just bounced off. I was grateful for my magic sword.
Si'aspiqo descended from his camel and prepared to cast a spell. I hit the Asuf grappling me in the arm, but the other still clawed me and I had moved a little further into the desert. I could hear sounds of a camel galloping and some shouting. Amphius and I both missed and one of the shadows clawed me again and I felt cold from the blow. Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on me and one of the Asuf fell back hissing. The other was still close, so I stabbed at it. Amphius hit one with his club and this time we saw a reaction. I hit it on the head and on into shoulders and something chipped off and it reeled but fought on.
Si'aspiqo cast protection from evil on Amphius, but the Greek missed his blow. The Asuf recoiled, but the other Asuf came back in; I hacked it low down and it disintegrated into crumbling bones and rags. I heard the pounding of camel hooves approaching as Amphius and I both hit the remaining Asuf; it crumpled just as Barsoom rode up. Baal-Shaq and Agripinus arrived soon after. Amphius found a golden necklace amongst the crumbling bones of one of the Asuf. He also found a fine steel sword one of them had been wielding. It had a straight blade and was neither Carthaginian nor Greek; Baal-Shaq thought it might have been made in Kuku. Si'aspiqo helped the archers find some of their arrowheads. Agripinus healed me and then we resumed our march.
By dawn we were close to Moktar, so we continued marching. It was more tiring once the sun started to come up, but we reached the Moktar oasis after a couple of hours. As we approached, we could see date trees, and then shepherds, goats and sheep and we reached a patch of green vegetation and bushes and saw Numidian style houses. There was no wall around the settlement but there were some drystone pens for animals. There was quite a large area of open water, but it was very shallow and seemed to be fed by now dried up streams. It was surrounded by a drystone dike to keep animals out but there were also troughs of water. There was a trail to the south which would lead to our destination and another heading east into the desert which Baal-Shaq told us led deeper into Kel-Ayr territory and eventually to Egypt. Our guides had been expected. They busied themselves refilling waterskins and getting fresh supplies and more firewood. The camels had a good drink for the first time since we had set out. Our guides pitched a tent for us in one of the animal kraals and we rested.
Si'aspiqo noticed quite a few people, particularly those working, had a complexion as dark as a Kushite, and noticeably darker than our guides. Toxoanassa spotted a young woman wrapped in same garb as the men, who, in Numidian, asked her where she was from and if she was a warrior, which the Scythian just about understood. Toxoanassa replied that she was a warrior for the North. The woman cocked her head and then scuttled off.
As dusk fell, we took the south road and kept the same formation as Baal-Shaq was pleased with how it had worked for the attack of the Asuf. We marched for two nights without incident.
We set out again at dusk on 3rd February. As we neared our first break for the night the caravan wound through an area of broken rock. It had become less sandy now and we saw one or two bits of greenery poking through in places. The whole area here was a crazy paving of shattered rock and as Toxoanassa stood on one stone, it rocked; something scuttled out – a very large scorpion. She let out a cry and pulled out a dagger. She hit the scorpion, but it grabbed at her with its claws. Amphius loosed a couple of arrows, but neither struck home and Toxoanassa and the scorpion both missed each other.
Si'aspiqo descended from his camel as I reached Toxoanassa and split the scorpion in two with my sword. It must have been a couple of feet long! Si'aspiqo collected the sting and sealed it in a pot. All around us were plates of shattered rock, where there might be more sleeping scorpions. We proceeded cautiously and managed to stay on the trail, leaving them undisturbed.
The next day was dry with a freshening breeze with a hint of moisture on it. The night march was uneventful but as we made camp Amphius disturbed a viper, which bit his boot but then scuttled off down a crack.
The next night by midnight the wind had dropped. We walked into Tessault Spring a few hours before dusk. There was a stone shrine with some pillars still standing, but those at one end had all crumbled. In another corner the guides pulled off a wooden cover to reveal a deep well from which they pulled up water to fill the waterskins. In amongst the crumbled and tumbled pillars Amphius found a piece of stone with a face with a long square beard and another piece with the leg of a beast. Si'aspiqo used a small flame to look more closely at the pieces and told us that he had seen similar pictures and thought it looked Babylonian. Toxoanassa added that she had seen mighty temples with large carvings of a beast with human head and square beard when she had crossed the Seleucid Empire on her trip West. Maybe it could be Assyrian, but it was a mystery why it was here in the middle of nowhere. We wondered who had made this place and Barsoom told us that men from the east had come to the desert and made this long ago. Whoever it had been had walked a long way but at least there was still water here.
We left at dusk despite a brisk wind that gusted from the north and blew sand everywhere causing poor visibility and difficult travel. We had two nights of uneventful march and by the second night conditions had improved. After another night we reached Adjel fort, which was the first such place since Boujje’s fort. Here also we saw a ziggurat, but this one had completely collapsed into a pile of bricks, but there was a stone walled canton. The Kel-Ayr, who lived here and seemed more watchful than those at Moktar, traded with our guides for more supplies and refilled the waterskins from a tunnel into the remains of the ziggurat.
Baal-Shaq was pleased with our journey so far and thought our destination, Kuku, was maybe five full days south of here. We had one longer haul across bad lands, and then in a few days we should find a seasonal river or maybe a spring for water, and from there it would be two more days to Kuku. Here we would be out of the desert and there would be a large river and we would be able to trade. The guides would wait outside the settlement, while we walk into Kuku. There we would stop for a while but not too long and then, once trading was successful, turn around and head back to the north.
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We set off again on the evening of 8th February. It was humid, which settled the dust that had been blowing for the last few days. Our way led west initially but then turned to the south. We marched for three nights without incident. It was cloudy and we crossed several dried streams. Although it had obviously been dry for quite a long while there were signs that it did rain from time to time here.
During the day of 11th February there was a brisk dusty wind and when we resumed our march, visibility was poor, and we made our way through soft sand. Baal-Shaq told us we were approaching the last section of our march. We would cross a dried river and after a couple more days there would be a sudden change to green vegetation. By the end of the night, we were at the margin of a substantial dried waterway. Baal-Shaq told us we would cross this in the evening and then it would be three or maybe four marches to Kuku.
That evening as I climbed a steep descent to the dried riverbed, I slipped and rolled down onto some rocks. I was not seriously injured but I needed some healing from Agripinus before I could resume. The wind died, and it was a dark overcast night. Barsoom lit a torch to help him make out the way. Si'aspiqo cast a spell to make the torch burn more slowly. As people were stumbling in the dark, Agripinus called on the light of Tanit and made sure enough light was shown to help people keep their feet. Amphius didn’t feel it was unnatural or as dark as Kaskator and he pushed ahead of Barsoom to scout in the darkness. Barsoom warned him not to go far ahead. We camped at dawn.
At dusk on 12th February we resumed our march southwards, it was still overcast and there was no wind but soon there was a breath of wind, which freshened from the North. Amphius thought he could smell a hint of mint or herbs on the wind and the guides looked confused. Soon there were a few spots of rain to the surprise of Baal-Shaq and the guides. Amphius thought he could smell rain and weather from the north, from the far side of the desert. The guides and camels looked bemused when a steady drizzle began to fall. Agripinus again summoned the light of Tanit, and we marched on through a couple of quite heavy showers. As we set up camp for the night, Baal-Shaq commented that it was just as well we had crossed the riverbed before the heavy showers.
The next day was much more pleasant after the dusty, hot, dry days to which we had become accustomed. Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip to predict the weather and thought it would continue fresher and so we decided to rest for the night and marched the following day, in almost Mediterranean weather with more showers. We passed some small streams that had started to form in dried up riverbeds and wound our way between rocks. Our guides seemed mystified by the weather. Baal-Shaq thought it might now be just one day to the large river. It was called the River of Rivers by the Numidians, but the locals called it the Isa. Fortunately we would not need to cross it as Kuku was on the northern bank.
Si'aspiqo thought the weather would continue the same, so we marched during the day once more on 14th February. By the afternoon the showers started to dry up and the wind turned to come from the south. Soon we could see smoke ahead and a green band of vegetation on the horizon. We started to see moisture steaming out of the ground as the sun began to beat down.
As we drew nearer to the settlement of Kuku, late in the day, we noticed that the architecture was very different here. There was an area of straw huts, and then more impressive buildings further off amongst and extensive area of ramshackle buildings. We set up camp in a drystone dyke canton on the outside of the area of straw huts. There were a lot of people, and it was noisy. The people look different, darker in complexion like a Kushite and wore different clothes to Numidians. The river was on the far side of the settlement and looked very large from here. As we approached the settlement, we saw goats and livestock and then tribesmen approached waving vegetables and other produce and babbling incomprehensibly in the local tongue.
Baal-Shaq called us all together and congratulated us on crossing the desert. He explained that we probably wouldn’t be able to talk to the natives, as they couldn’t talk to the Kel-Ayr, and any trading might have to be with hand signs. At the market there might be someone who spoke Numidian. He warned us that we would all provoke a lot of interest as foreigners and looking so different from the locals, unlike himself. He would expect no trouble during the day but wasn’t sure about at night. If we wanted to trade, we could either barter or trade silver, we could also trade for funny shells, which were useful for buying local things. He suggested waiting until morning for trading. Si'aspiqo asked about the local attitude to magic and tricks and was warned to be careful. Baal-Shaq warned Toxoanassa that there were no female warriors outside of the King’s place, although the King’s wife was very important, so women could be powerful. In the market we would be able to buy ivory and slaves and locals would be interested in gold. The Kel-Ayr bartered for some provisions, including fresh fish and water and the camels drank in the river. The night passed without incident.
The next day was much warmer and sunnier. We made our way through the settlement between various huts. There were some larger timber reinforced mud brick buildings and included one especially large one presumably belonging to the King. There was an area for trading, and I could hear the banging of metalsmiths and blacksmiths nearby hard at work. I got a better look at the river, which even though the water level was currently very low, was the largest I had ever seen. Apparently, according to Si'aspiqo and Toxoanassa, the Nile was bigger – that must be a mighty river indeed. The vegetation seemed green and freshened by the recent unseasonal rain and there was a belt of it alongside both sides of the river. There were chickens and goats and strange grains, for making a sort of porridge, for sale along with small green crunchy vegetables, which none of us had seen before. There were tasty, large round fruits and various gourds and squash and lots of river fish. There were boats on the river – some for fishing, and other, larger ones heading up and down the river. Mint tea similar to that of the Numidians was widely available. There were multiple public wells around the marketplace, and it was clear that people didn’t drink from the river; it was just used for animals and washing, and people drank water from the wells.
Baal-Shaq helped us with our trading. Mago traded some purple dye for a bundle of very large black and white feathers. Agripinus tried to trade his trade helmet and greaves but wasn’t offered anything he liked and when he offered a mirror the locals seemed scared by their reflections. Si'aspiqo was looking for alchemicals and found he could buy lots of charcoal as this was used in metalworking, which seemed advanced here. Amphius was offered some ceramics for his Greek armour but deemed it too heavy. Toxoanassa bought some glass bead necklaces for a few gold coins, and I bought a necklace of large lion teeth for 10gp. I saw quite a lot of people passing colourful shells for trade.
In the evening a torchlight parade appeared outside our canton, led by someone in robes. He babbled something to Baal-Shaq, who told us that the King, Askey-Za, had asked to speak to the travelers who had crossed the desert. Our guides looked bewildered, and Baal-Shaq told us that in all his many visits he had never been asked to do this.
We all dressed up in our finest and were accompanied by a procession of people waving torches and spears and lots of noise, and led to an area outside the largest of the buildings in the settlement. The man who had delivered the message to us, shouted loudly and the noise died away. We saw an impressive, well-dressed man on a double throne with a woman wearing even more gold sat next to him, but slightly lower. The spokesman spoke in Numidian to Baal-Shaq who nodded and then translated into Arma for us:
“The Great Lord Askey-Za, ruler of Kuku, and speaker of the Gods, has heard of the Mystic from the North and asked if you are truly the Light Bearer”. At this point Baal-Shaq looked with resignation at Agripinus. The priest responded that he bore the light of his Goddess, Tanit, and Baal-Shaq translated, and it was relayed to the King. “It has been foretold. One will come to purify the Red Dune and cast down the evil that waits there”, was the response. Baal-Shaq looked displeased, but resigned and explained that the King clearly had a problem and that this was an offer that we couldn’t refuse. Agripinus responded, “I am the light bearer, and we will help you, Askey-Za”. This was relayed to the King, who raised his hands and waved. The crowd started chanting and waving and a party began. There was a large celebration, with dancing and roasted meat, but no alcohol, just water to drink.
There were topless dancers and invitations to join them and Amphius disappeared, but I stayed seated beside Toxoanassa, enjoying the food. There was a lot of chanting and strange native dancing, some of which was aimed at the Scythian, but she resisted and just remained straight faced; after a while they gave up and moved on.
There was some conversation between the King, the translator, Baal-Shaq and Agripinus. We learnt that the Red Dune was over the river and was a very large sand dune, which glowed red in the dusk and the dawn light. It had been a place of some spiritual significance, but now was haunted. By the great powers of the Gods, Askey-Za had kept the town safe, but anyone leaving the town was likely to be molested by spirits by night; the undead, or spirits of the night. These seemed to transfix people with fear, so much so that some jumped into river to drown, and others ran until they dropped. Agripinus asked about a reward and was told we would receive the friendship of the King and could ask for what we wanted. He was warned by Baal-Shaq to take care what he asked for as it would not be a good idea to embarrass the King and ask for something he would not wish to give. The King mentioned the prophecy about the Bringer of Light on multiple occasions during the conversation.
By the end of the party, around three in the morning, I was the only one still eating and even I was very full. There was no sign of Amphius, but he did turn up, very tired, late in the morning.
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