Northwards Ho!
Recounts our travels in the the fifth to seventh month of the nineteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy.
Recounts our travels in the the fifth to seventh month of the nineteenth year of the reign of Pharaoh Ptolomy, son of Ptolomy.
From Sammus’s Boast:
Late in the day on 3rd May, Mago and a guide went ahead to warn Boujje about the curse. Boujje told us to camp outside in the canton, in the same place as we had left our animals before, and he would come and hear our story. Mago returned to let us know and we entered the canton, and Hannibal and the other guides greeted us. When Boujje arrived in the evening, Si'aspiqo told him that we had managed to find a way in, between the paws of the sphinx, and had explored and found it to be a burial place of an Egyptian Priestess of Amun. He then told Boujje of the mummy that we defeated and explained that we had investigated the sarcophagus and took the possessions we found therein. It had soon become apparent that we were cursed, he continued. He explained that we were being followed by some sort of spirit, maybe the personification of the curse or a shadow of the priestess and that he and I had coughs. We showed him the loot, and his eyes gleamed.
These are ancient things he told us. Si'aspiqo told him that the inscription on the stone entrance mentioned the name of a pharaoh which matched that on the great sphinx in the north kingdom. Boujje said this was the strongest proof he had seen that the Egyptians had come this far west. Any debt to me was discharged, he told us, and he promised to advise us as best he could regarding the curse. He let us know that he had bottled the liquid from our amphorae successfully; he had 69 bottles of healing potions and 82 bottles of sleeping draft, giving 46 bottles of healing and 55 bottles of sleeping drafts as our share.
He outlined some options to deal with the curse: we could summon the spirit of the priestess and attempt to make peace; we could summon the haunting shadow and trap it in a small, symbolic maze — if trapped moving endlessly round the maze, he was not sure how long it would hold; Boujje could try to counter the curse with charms of health and tattoos to bind them. He told us he would only charge for his services if he were successful. He left us to rest and consider the options, and to divide the loot into two piles.
The priestess’s dagger seemed sharp and well-balanced to me and as a weapon was broadly similar in value to my shortsword. Si'aspiqo and Agripinus set up wards against evil and we set watches for the night. I was on first watch and felt very tired. It was very quiet, and I realized I was no longer anywhere I recognized, and the stars were unfamiliar. I must have wandered off into the desert. I heard a voice and realizing it was probably the spirit, I put rags in my ears and stood still. I tried to get back to myself and suddenly found myself in a heap at the edge of the stone wall of the canton. I returned to the camp. No-one else was disturbed.
Si'aspiqo spent some time trying to understand the three arcane items. The dagger was quite interesting, he told us. It was very old and something that old, made of iron, would be in itself magical, as it dated from weapons were made of bronze. There was something cold about it, and as well as being sharp, the magician thought he might be able to wield it in his dream. He guessed it was a ritual weapon. The necklace was a thing of beauty, he added, and he suspected it augmented the wearer’s beauty.
Soon after sunset Boujje returned to our camp. Si'aspiqo told him that he was still unsure of one item. He added that concerning the haunting, we were inclined to ask his assistance to trap the spirit, while we reached somewhere where we could make further arrangements. Boujje explained that to do such a thing, we must first build the small tomb ourselves; he had supplies in the desert for this close by. He would then prepare the shaptis to be laid in the tomb. We should each spend a drop of blood to be put on the shaptis in the maze. He would then summon the spirit to the tomb. If this were successful, we would owe him one artifact of arcane power. It would take at least a day to prepare the tomb, if we worked on it together. We agreed that this should come from party loot.
Si'aspiqo and Agripinus set up wards against evil and although Amphius nearly stepped out of the circle, he realized just in time, and no-one was haunted that night. Agripinus had to recover his mana at dawn, but when he carried out his ceremony, he was able to heal Si'aspiqo and I. My cough felt much better. After an early breakfast, we set out to prepare a maze. It was a hot day, and we needed to drink more than normal, but under Mago’s guidance we managed to construct a serviceable maze. Late in the afternoon, Boujje arrived and inspected it. He was pleased with our work and got out a pot. We all squeezed a drop of blood into it, and he added powder from various phials and placed some of the mixture onto each of the shaptis. He then placed the shaptis in the maze. He ordered us to complete the roof apart from one final piece, leaving a hole through which the spirit could be lured. Mago again supervised and the roof was completed safely apart from the final piece. Boujje carried out a ceremony, which Si'aspiqo understood enough of to know it was to summon the spirit of the dead.
Night fell and it felt very cold. With a wave of his hand Boujje dropped the final piece into place. “It is done”, he told us. Toxoanassa told us that she had seen the spirit come from the desert, just as night fell, and disappear into the hole. We walked back a few hundred yards to the encampment.
Boujje asked if we had decided how to make the piles, and when we told him that we hadn’t he told us we could do so tomorrow. We had a warm and peaceful night; no-one was haunted. By morning Si'aspiqo still had found no more about the scarab and we agreed to divide the loot into two piles anyway. One pile had the dagger, two gold bangles, and the gold bracelet with anthropomorphic designs, while the other had the other two arcane items, two more bangles and the damaged blue bracelet from the mummy. Once Boujje had inspected the piles, he decided to take the one with the scarab and necklace. We offered him the khopesh we had found under the red dune. He agreed that it was ancient and had power and was a fair price.
I paid Boujje one of the bottles of potion for a tattoo of health and vigour, as did Mago. These would be activated by a prayer to Baal each dawn. I was told to prick my thumb and rub my blood over the tattoo at dawn and then speak words I had been given. Amphius paid twelve bottles for the necklace of beauty. In the morning, I triggered my tattoo; I was not coughing. Whether this was due to Boujje’s ceremony, the lingering effects of Agripinus’s healing or the tattoo I was unsure. But I will give thanks to Baal, nonetheless.
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From Sammus’s Boast:
We prepared to leave. Our Ajjer guides, including Axil and Bardis, were ready with the two ponies we had left here. They had six porters, probably of African descent to accompany us across the desert. Agripinus asked Boujje if he wished to buy his pearl necklace, but Boujje suggested trading it in Mergooza to Kasila, the King, for his beautiful wife Madaya. I showed him my two ivory carvings. He told me that they were of African Gods from far to the south, either House Gods or spirits. He wasn’t sure what he might do with them, mischief maybe? He offered me another tattoo in exchange, but I declined and kept them to trade later. Baal-Shaq and Boujje left on very friendly and respectful terms.
We set out at dusk on 6th May. One pony had some of the baggage and Si'aspiqo and the other was just packed with our baggage. The night march was uneventful, and we rested for the day under sunny skies. It looked set fair for the next while and it was dead calm for the night of 7th into 8th May. The ponies were skittish when we stopped for a break, so Amphius and Mago walked a circuit around us, while Si'aspiqo cast some cantrips, looking for ghouls, jabba worms and darklings, but noticed nothing. The two men returned after shooting a desiccated undead with an ivory plaque around its neck. Si'aspiqo said the plaque had a spark of magic about it. It wasn’t as powerful as a potion, but he thought it was a tribal Numidian amulet or token. Amphius wore the amulet. The rest of the march was quiet. Si'aspiqo’s lungs felt dry, but so far, he was not coughing as much as he had been; my tattoo was keeping off any signs of a cough.
We set out again on the evening of 8th May. There were light winds, and the night passed without incident. Si'aspiqo was now coughing slightly and just before dawn Agripinus successfully called on Tanit to cure disease and then produce some water for the ponies. The guides told us half a night’s march should get us to Adra. Just before midnight the wind started to rise but we reached the oasis soon after and before the sandstorm arrived.
By dusk it was still blowing sand from the west, but it had eased considerably so we decided to press on. During our pause around midnight, the two ponies were restless, so Amphius and Mago again circled the camp to investigate. After 20 minutes Mago returned alone and told us that he had been looking closely at the old bones of a goat and when he looked up Amphius had disappeared. We followed the tracks and eventually saw Amphius returning confused. He told us that something had been calling to him in Greek from the desert. We wondered whether this was related to the dead priestess. The guides asked what had happened and Amphius relayed to them via Baal-Shaq what he had heard. Bardis said this sounded like the Asuf. He said that sometimes they could be talked to and mentioned the Asuf or Adebni. We continued our march. Soon after we heard Bardis pray and when he had finished, he told us that he thought there were restless spirits around. We stopped just before dawn to camp for the day and Agripinus brought forth some more water for the ponies.
The night of 11th into 12th May passed uneventfully, but just after midnight on the next night Amphius told Mago that he had seen something off in the darkness. He disappeared from view and Mago waited 5 minutes. Amphius did not reappear, so Mago reported back to the main body. Agripinus shouted a priestly command calling on Amphius, to stop and get back to the party in Greek. Amphius returned and asked what was up. He reported having seen a large deer. Baal-Shaq asked him to describe it and Amphius told us that it had been a large, majestic, grey gazelle with long curving horns. Baal-Shaq and Bardis babbled in Numidian and then we went to look for tracks. We found the tracks of Amphius but no others. Bardis told us that it must have been a Kamelton and made a sign to Baal. He told us that this was a shape-changing ghoul. We carried on and just before dawn, Toxoanassa and I thought we caught sight of something. The nearest pony was restless, so we looked into the desert I all directions but saw nothing. We stopped to make camp, and again Agripinus produced water for the ponies. Mago was exhausted by the end of the night’s march and Si'aspiqo was coughing so Agripinus also cured Si'aspiqo’s cough and healed Mago with the help of Tanit.
As we prepared to leave at dusk on 13th May, the guides told us that we should arrive at the large oasis of Tamoudi by the morning. During the last part of the march around 3 in the morning, Mago stumbled onto a small pit of slippery sand. Amphius threw a rope to him. Mago tried to grab it as something bit him on the arm and took hold of him. Amphius and Baal-Shaq tried to pull him out, and Baal-Shaq called a warning in Numidian which sounded like ‘Jabba’. Mago’s left arm went numb and he tried to cling onto the rope with his right, but Baal-Shaq pulled too hard, and the rope slipped from Mago’s grasp. Amphius bravely jumped into the pit after him.
Agripinus sang a holy hymn to encourage us all and held up his symbol of Tanit, from which bright light spread around. Mago could feel something dragging him into the soft sand, as Amphius grabbed Mago and tried to pull him back. A rope landed bedside the Greek, who was unable to grab hold, as he was concentrating on holding onto Mago, who muttered a prayer to Baal for luck. Si'aspiqo cast a spell and called on the jabba worm to leave the area. Baal-Shaq threw the rope again and this time Amphius did get a hold, whilst still keeping hold of Mago. Mago with the help of Amphius and Baal-Shaq managed to hold firm and there was a whirl in the sand and Mago felt the creature release its grip. Amphius tied the rope around Mago and Baal-Shaq and the guides pulled Mago and Amphius out of the pit.
Agripinus cleaned out the wound and performed some healing ceremonies and another for cure disease. Mago was helped onto a pony in place of Si'aspiqo and we continued on our way. A little after dawn we reached the outskirts of Tamoudi oasis. The guides and the local tribesmen discussed the attack of the jabba worm, and we learned that the locals were a little concerned by an attack of a jabba worm so close to the oasis but thought we had been unlucky to be attacked there. They thought it highly unusual that it had let go of its intended victim once it had a grip, and had left.
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From Sammus’s Boast:
At Mergooza there was a herd of around 50 ponies awaiting us along with four Spanish horses and guides we recognized. Baal-Shaq paid off the Ajjer guides and after a celebration the next evening, we bid them farewell. We would now be switching to day travel even though it was still hot as our mounts would not see well enough at night. We would have a fragile cargo on our return journey, so following advice from our guides, after much explanation between them and Baal-Shaq, we spread the load amongst many mounts and would travel somewhere between walking the horses all day and travelling flat out. Both Si'aspiqo and I started coughing during the day, but Agripinus was able to carry out a small rite and we almost stopped coughing completely.
We left Mergooza on 27th May on a cloudy morning with a fresh wind from the north. It was good to be back on horseback. By evening we reached a small hamlet, Erfond, with a dry river off to the west. Si'aspiqo pondered the obsidian blade as he slept and thought it was ceremonial. It might be a spirit cutting blade. The next morning our guides gave thanks to to the Spirit of the Sky as it was raining lightly and there was a little mist. We were travelling through semi-desert but now there were signs of vegetation. The rain and mist cleared in the afternoon, and our guides told us we could either ride hard to Khettara or camp in the semi-desert. Agripinus told them we would keep the same pace and camp. When we stopped, Agripinus produced water for the animals and found it easier than in the desert.
The 29th May was a fair day, and we reached Khettara oasis in the afternoon and rested. Agripinus healed those of us who were tired and saddle sore. The next morning, we set out again and after 15 miles of semi-desert we saw the land starting to rise ahead with mountains in the distance. Agripinus again produced water for the animals and then did some more healing before dawn.
On 31st May we rode up into the high pass where it was cooler and there were places to water the horses. We had to dismount and walk the horses as the footing became trickier. Amphius tripped and the pony shied but did not fall. We camped on a clear and cool night. The next day we continued walking our mounts. We soon crossed the highest point of the pass and began to descend. We saw several eagles.
We continued walking for the morning of 2nd June but then began riding again. It was hot by the time we reached Midef. There was a small market here and wells sank into the ground. Everyone came to look, and hawkers tried to sell their wares. We spent a day recuperating, during which Si'aspiqo learnt the spell ritual Identify from one of the scrolls from Hemeroskopeion. He used his new spell to investigate the bone necklace. As he was meditating, he slumped over, exhausted. We made him comfortable, and he had recovered by the morning.
We left Midef on 4th June and had a quiet day with a light wind from the north and rode to the hamlet of Zeda. That night, in his dreams, Si'aspiqo investigated an ivory trinket Amphius had found on an undead and he thought had power. It seemed to have something to do with guiding.
It would be a harder day’s ride to get to Katan, so Agripinus decided we should continue at the same pace on 5th June and camp in the wilderness. As we set up camp, Agripinus managed to produce some water, but it took a few attempts to get enough for the horses and ponies. We had a shorter day on 6th June to reach Katan.
The next morning, we rode north from Katan. The hardest stretch would be coming up, up the Kander Pass, the highest part on our journey. We headed slowly up into the mountains with a light wind from the southwest on a fair day. I was coughing a little, but Si'aspiqo was coughing badly, so Agripinus healed him. That night Si'aspiqo slept on the ivory trinket again. He had a helpful dream on its use, so when he awoke, he put it on. If he closed his eyes and turned away from the north, he found it pulled him back in that direction. It seemed as though it would direct him to the Pole Star, which would be useful for mariners and when exploring mazes underground.
We rode north on 8th June, climbing higher and higher as we went and then camped not far from the summit. As we set up camp, I narrowly avoided being bitten by a snake, but I quickly drew my sword and cut it in two. Agripinus thought that his curved, ivory wand aided against the shadow of despair and might be invoked by calling on Tanit. He discussed it with Si'aspiqo, who tried to investigate but awoke trembling and in a sweat. He felt that something large, heavy and threatening was nearby in his dreams and thought it was part of the device’s protection. He felt he was approaching his investigation in the wrong way.
The next morning the wind was rising, and we did not want to approach the highest point of the pass in a gale. We decided to wait to see if the wind would drop.
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From Sammus’s Boast:
We decided to wait for the wind to drop. It was pleasantly cool here near the top of the pass as we camped. There were a few scattered patches of snow and a little water from mountain streams. It was cold at night.
The wind had dropped by the morning of 10th June, so we set off and soon after the summit we saw horses ahead. It soon became clear this was a group of Numidians escorting pack horses. We pulled off the trail to let them pass and both groups exchanged polite and friendly greetings. The other group were escorting a trader heading south for Mergooza and were carrying Punic made things from the coast, frankincense and oil.
We rode on the next day with a light wind from just north of northeast. In the early morning, the Numidians started pointing and we heard the word Emdi, which Baal-Shaq told us was a black gazelle. There was a large one just off the trail, but as the land was rocky and difficult and Amphius had been lured by a supernatural gazelle previously, we left it undisturbed.
On the 12th June there was a light wind from the northwest. Hannibal’s horse stumbled a couple of times during the day and the second time he fell off and tumbled a short distance down the mountain. He made his way back without suffering serious damage but had to change mounts as his first horse was limping.
The next day the wind had freshened. During lunch Baal-Shaq stomped on some poisonous yellow scorpions crawling on crumbling stones. That evening as we set up camp, Agripinus had wandered a short distance from the camp, where he spotted a snake at his feet in the twilight. He pulled his sword and neatly decapitated a horned viper. I skinned it and Si'aspiqo smoked the head over a fire to provide another fetish for a cantrip.
Overnight the wind rose, in the morning it was blowing strongly from the south, which gave a little protection from the blowing sand. The guides discussed with Baal-Shaq as they would like to let the wind blow out, but we were almost out of horse fodder, and it was still a day or two to the next hamlet. Agripinus carried out a ceremony and transferred grain from almost empty sacks to other containers and soon he had two full sacks of grain. The Numidians were wide-eyed, and Baal-Shaq swore them to secrecy. The priest’s ceremony would not work on the straw as this was not potential food for humans. There was a small stream for water, so with the increased supplies we waited for the wind to drop.
On the morning of 15th June there was just a light wind from the west. That night would be a full moon, and we should be able to reach the hamlet before midnight. The day was quiet, and we made good progress and reached the hamlet of Sefron in the evening. The larger settlement of Sef was little more than a day ahead.
During third watch we were awoken by cries of alarm and commotion. Amphius had been attacked by a large bat. It had jumped on his back from behind and bitten him. He had swept it off and stabbed it, and it had flown away. Agripinus cleaned the wound with holy water and the rest of the night was uneventful.
17th June dawned and we rose a little tired after a short night. Agripinus carried out a rite to heal Amphius whose wound was infected. A cloudy day passed uneventfully with a cooler light wind blowing from the north. We arrived before dusk in Sef on the 17th June. We were welcomed back as the locals were happy that we had solved the problem with the black lion. There was a short reception, and we were invited to speak to H’Assan the headman.
H’Assan welcomed us. He told us there had been some problems, as several Asuf had been haunting around the settlement, particularly at the new shrine to Tanit during the night. We agreed to investigate.
After a night’s rest, Baal-Shaq and the guides busied themselves reprovisioning for the next stage of the journey. Agripinus made preparations for a ceremony to remove the curse from the party and in particular the coughs from which Si'aspiqo and I suffered at times.
The shrine looked in need of cleaning. There were a couple of local women that had been praying here but there was no acolyte to take responsibility for the shrine. Baal-Shaq and Hannibal both offered to assist against the Asuf. Agripinus made it clear that he would like their help defending the village and the people rather than the shrine itself. He prepared holy water for a ceremony to cleanse Agripinus, Si'aspiqo, Amphius, Toxoanassa, Mago and I. We set up camp for the six of us in the shrine for that night, with Baal-Shaq and Hannibal nearby.
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From Sammus’s Boast:
The big news on morning 18th June was the unmistakable smell of rain in the air! Agripinus began manufacturing holy water in the shrine and towards midday it poured with rain for around two hours. People were outside capering in the rain and looked very happy. A couple of inches of rain fell in an hour or two, which didn’t seem unusual to me, but apparently was quite remarkable in June here. A crowd had gathered and there was a lot of babbling in Numidian and waving at the clouds and we made out something about Agripinus making water come from sky, finding water in the desert and feeding the hungry and the sick were appealing for aid. Agripinus preached the word of Tanit and Baal-Shaq told us that the crowd were pleading for him to stay in Sef and help them. Baal-Shaq did not seem altogether delighted with the crowd’s enthusiasm. Through Baal-Shaq, Agripinus commented on the benefits of Tanit to the 100 or more villagers who had gathered. He told them that the God did not give out miracles lightly, but he picked out a mother with a sickly baby as being worthy of healing. He carried out a short ceremony and the child perked up with much rejoicing and calls of “he heals the sick”, and Baal-Shaq looked resigned. Agripinus told the crowd that was all he could do today, but he might do more tomorrow.
As the crowd started to disperse, through them came H’Assan. He spoke to Baal-Shaq who translated for the rest of us. He said that it seemed the priest had become known to many and added that Tanit might have many worshippers if he stayed here. He urged Agripinus to be gentle with them, as hope was more useful than despair. He asked Agripinus to return here or at least to send someone to serve here. Agripinus assured him that he would make the strongest effort to return or at least send someone who could keep the shrine going and keep the people safe and healthy. H’Assan had been happy to see the shrine built and would be happy to see it supported.
Towards evening we collected provisions and then set up camp in and around the shrine. The shrine was a small hut with a low wall around it. Si'aspiqo set up a protection from evil, outside the shrine within the drystone wall. It was a cool evening with a light wind. Si'aspiqo, Amphius, Mago and I were within the wall outside the shrine, while Agripinus and Toxoanassa were in the shrine. Si'aspiqo went into the land of dreams.
Just before dawn, Mago woke with a shriek. He looked bewildered and clutched his arm. “Where’s the lady?”, he asked and when questioned what lady, added, “the scary one”. He looked very white, and his arm hung by his side. He had had one of those dreams he said. He hadn’t seen Si'aspiqo but had found himself in an empty town and had heard lamentations. He had followed the sounds and had found a lady there bemoaning the loss of someone. He had asked her if he could help find the person. Mago had tried to lead her back where he had come from and then had felt pain in his arm and had noticed that she looked scary.
Agripinus looked at Mago and examined his arm. It was as though it had been dangled in cold water all night, and although the rest of him was warm as normal, his arm was very cold. Over a period, it started to warm. Mago realized that he had chosen to leave the safety of the ward and the wall around the shrine to look for the lamentations.
The next morning, which was clear and sunny, the villagers gathered again calling for “The Rainbringer!” Agripinus prepared more holy water and the woman and her baby reappeared. The baby seemed healthy, and the woman gave grateful thanks.
Agripinus completed his preparations and Si'aspiqo stripped to his loincloth. Agripinus carried out a ceremony to cleanse the sorcerer and rid him of the curse, which lasted about an hour, and he deemed a success. Baal-Shaq arrived at lunchtime and sent several small children, who had been capering around Toxoanassa, on their way. Agripinus prepared more holy water in the afternoon and then examined an old man with a broken arm. He decided that the arm would need to be rebroken and the priest told the old man to return at midday the next day.
We set up for the night in the same places as previously. The night was uneventful and Si'aspiqo woke at dawn looking very refreshed. He told us that there was definitely a haunting. He had seen the woman in his dreams, and she was searching for a lost child. He had offered to help her on the mortal plane and she had tried to tempt him out of the protection of the ward and shrine and into the Land of the Dead; he had declined. He had held out the ritual knife in front of him in case anything needed severed. She had shied away, and her cloak had fallen off revealing how dead she was. She had fled and all was quiet for quite a long while but just at dawn he saw a pair of eyes glittering in hearth light. He thought we might be being haunted by a cat we had befriended at one of the oases on our way back.
Baal-Shaq arrived with some breakfast and Agripinus prepared more holy water. I then stripped to my loincloth, and he carried out another ceremony to rid me of the curse. I felt very clean and refreshed after the ceremony.
The old man with the broken arm arrived and Agripinus explained the options and Baal-Shaq translated into Numidian. The man looked very concerned but then nodded his agreement to Agripinus breaking his arm. We agreed that Agripinus should use a dose of painkill, which had been received from Boujje for some jabba worm venom. Si'aspiqo resealed the jar once one dose had been administered. Agripinus gave a sharp tap on the arm to rebreak it and then bandaged it up. The man was surprised but did not scream in pain, so the dose of painkill must have worked. Agripinus also did a small ceremony to cure light wounds. The old man gave lots of thanks in Numidian and walked off as though a little drunk.
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From Sammus’s Boast:
It was now dusk on the 20th June. It had been a very warm day and there was a gusty wind. Si'aspiqo set up his ward again, outside the shrine, but with the outside of the ward on the outside of the wall. He called a sand cat via a cantrip and set out some food. Nothing arrived in the first hour after dusk. Si'aspiqo slept to enter the spirit world. Amphius and I had slept during the day and stood watch all night.
In the real world it felt cool with a refreshing wind. During first watch I heard a voice, a woman crying off in the night. Toxoanassa and I woke Agripinus and told him the direction we had heard the voice, and he brought up the light of Tanit in his orb, to illuminate that direction. I stood guard and Agripinus, Toxoanassa and Agripinus crossed the ward and wall and headed towards the crying. Toxoanassa thought she spotted a flicker of movement and a grey shape crossing an alleyway ahead but when they got there, there was no sign of the figure. Agripinus communed with Tanit for guidance as to where the spirit was so he could deal with it in her name. The response was that he needed to look in the necropolis of Sef.
Meanwhile in the spirit world, Si'aspiqo asked who the spirit was seeking in Numidian. He heard crying, but it approached no closer. From time to time, he could still hear a sorrowful cry from the village in the spirit world. He tried to cast protection on himself but failed and he found himself wandering the streets outside the barrier in the town, but he still seemed to be in the spirit world judging by the stars. He cast his protection again and this time he felt it had worked, so he followed the sound. Si'aspiqo found himself in a graveyard and saw a grey shape crying in the corner. He moved through the graveyard and cut a trail with the ceremonial knife, in a circuit around the figure as best he could. It took a long time to work his way round. He thought he was back where he had started the circuit just as the first light of dawn crept above the horizon. The magician tried to find his way back to his sleeping form, but the sun rose as he approached the shrine, and no matter how much he tried to hurry he couldn’t get there before dawn. He awoke with a horrible start. He checked the food he had left for a sand cat, and it had been eaten, but he saw rat droppings nearby.
Agripinus and Si'aspiqo both agreed that we needed to look for the graveyard or Necropolis. We enquired in Sef and found that the necropolis was to the west. Amphius and I rested while the others went to visit it and were followed by a group of locals. The necropolis seemed smaller than in Si'aspiqo’s dreams, but he found a spot that seemed to correspond with where he had seen the grey shape. Agripinus noticed a plain stone marker. There were others nearby that were worn and plain, but they had the remains of offerings, while this one was completely bare.
They returned to Sef, and with Baal-Shaq’s help they spoke to H’Assan as Agripinus was keen not to offend and infringe on local sensibilities. H’Assan agreed that if it was an unmarked grave, that we believed to be haunted, then Agripinus was welcome to give any blessings he wished, but that no exorcism should be carried out. He suggested carrying out a ceremony at dusk. Amphius and I rejoined the party for the ceremony after resting for the day and we were also accompanied by Baal-Shaq and Hannibal in full gear. Hannibal had a small wreath of flowers which he placed on unmarked grave and Agripinus conducted a ceremony in front of the party and a small crowd of watchers.
After the ceremony we set up in and outside the shrine, with protections in place as before. The night passed without incident in the mundane world, but in the morning Si'aspiqo related what he had seen in the spirit world while he slept.
He said that there had been a disturbance off to the east during the night, almost as though there was a thunderstorm on the horizon. After that it felt as cold as the grave and he saw a form in rags, in a very deteriorated condition, which was no longer identifiably female. It penetrated his barrier and was cursing him in poor, Numidian-accented, Egyptian. It called him the slave of the false priest and told him he would get no rest, be sunburnt in the day and have cold feet at night. Si'aspiqo quickly cast protection against evil, and the figure immediately collapsed and blew away. He wasn’t sure whether the curse had taken root at all. He was unsure whether this had been associated with the thing we laid rest or was something else maybe from earlier, but we all thought it was likely to be the uneasy spirit we had been encountering in Sef.
It was now the morning of 22nd June. Agripinus spoke to H’Assan, who gave us permission to leave. H’Assan was pleased the ceremony seemed to have been successful. He told Agripinus that although he knew the priest had business in the City of the White Veil, he would have many worshippers of Tanit if he stayed here. He warned the priest to be gentle with his people, as hope was more useful than despair. Agripinus explained that he had to leave, but that if he couldn’t return, then he would try to send another in his place.
We visited the graveyard and the grave looked clear, with no signs of any disturbance. The rest of the day was quiet, and we prepared to leave at dawn on 23rd June. The man whose arm Agripinus had rebroken visited the priest. The arm was sore, but he felt well and asked for an inspection and blessing. Agripinus carried out a short blessing to cure light wounds. The man said that when his arm had recovered, he would sweep the shrine, and he blessed Agripinus’s name.
The night of 22nd June was completely quiet, and we set out at dawn the next morning. Our guides thought it was nine or ten days to Tamuda at our current place, but we could reach it in 5 days if we rode hard. Agripinus declined to speed up and instead two of the Numidians were sent ahead to warn of our pending arrival in Tamuda. It was a sunny morning with a light wind from the west and one or two dozen villagers cheered and waved us on our way. The day passed quietly, and we started climbing up towards the high pass and camped for the night.
Just before dawn three figures jumped out of the shadows and attacked Agripinus. We were all awoken by a command from the priest. He shielded against the small figures, but one blow got through and the three figures chittered at each other. Agripinus was joined by one of the Numidians, and they struck one of the small figures. Amphius and Mago were the next to arrive. Amphius evaded one of the figures and then drew his bow and shot the figure with an arrow, while Mago prepared his sling.
Si'aspiqo protected me from evil as I moved to join Agripinus, who struck what I realized was a darkling. It backed away from us and we followed. A second darkling turned and ran. There were two more darklings trying to steal a horse and Toxoanassa shot one with an arrow, but two javelins narrowly missed them.
Amphius struck the same darkling as before with an arrow and it went down and Mago hit one with a slingshot as it tried to flee, and it went down. I cut down the darkling facing Agripinus as it tried to escape. The two trying to steal horses dropped the reins and fled pursued by javelins and an arrow, while the one struck by a slingshot regained its feet and tottered off into the gloom as Mago’s next shot missed wildly. Amphius could see a few darklings as they disappeared into the gloom, but he did not waste his arrows.
There were two bodies, and we saw that these were much hairier than the darklings we had met before. The Numidians called them Elijannen – which seemed to mean hairy darklings. These were just wearing loincloths. Si'aspiqo cast a detect cantrip, using a finger bone from a darkling we had encountered previously and could feel the darklings were scattering and fleeing. There were two bodies: one had an iron knife and small pouch with 4sp; the other had a wooden club and 2sp. Our Numidian guides were surprised that such a large group as ourselves had been disturbed by the darklings.
We continued for three days with little incident, but late on the third day, we saw a pair of desert gazelles off into the mountains. We ignored them as we had no need of supplies. That evening Agripinus found a scorpion in his bedroll, but he was able to deal with it, before it could sting him.
On 27th June we were well up in the mountains and it was pleasantly cool and cloudy during the day and very cool at night. Si'aspiqo checked for darklings with a cantrip when we stopped but there was no sign.
The next morning it was very foggy, with just a few breaks in the mist, but we pressed on. There was a sprinkling of rain and there was green vegetation around. Again, at dusk Si'aspiqo cast a cantrip but felt no darklings present. During the first watch I felt a voice calling on the wind far out over the mountains or pass, but it was not close enough to hear clearly. Si'aspiqo had heard the same in the dream world in his sleep.
On 29th June, a wind from the south southwest blew away the clouds. We had a quiet day’s march and at dusk a golden coloured fox or wolf was spotted watching the camp. We ignored it and after a few minutes it slinked away.
The next day we started descending and the guides said that if we rode hard, we could reach Tamuda that night, but we pressed on at the same speed as before and on the 1st July we descended down into the plain and saw signs of the coast ahead. Amphius fell off his horse and injured his left arm, but it was not broken so we continued and arrived in Tamuda in the late afternoon.
As we approached the town, armed men and guards were more obvious than usual and there were no children in the street The Numidians muttered to themselves, and we saw people making signs against evil. The Numidians spoke to Baal-Shaq and told him there seemed to be trouble in the land and we should stay in our house until we knew what was happening.
The party rode up to the house Kallicrates had rented, and Hannibal told us he would go to the house of Hamilcar and would send word when he knew what was happening. We transferred our goods to the house and some of the guards went off to find what was going on. In the house was just the housekeeper and her son, and she gave us a tablet. There was a message written on it from Kallicrates saying that he would be back soon, and was trading in good weather, but there was another stranger piece which Amphius recognized as being from a work by a Greek poet called Homer about the fall of Troy and a Trojan horse, which he explained was some sort of trick to get into Troy. It was something only a Greek would recognize.
The floor looked like it had been disturbed in one area and when he investigated Amphius found a small box in the area, which was where Si'aspiqo thought he had buried the scrolls from Hemeroskopeion. The statue to Astarte was still there though. In the box there were 600 silver coins. We checked the harbour but there were just fishing boats, and no sign of Kallicrates or his ship. Agripinus went to the temple with Baal-Shaq to find out what he could there, while the rest of us stored our goods in the house and wondered what was going on.
After dusk there was a gentle knock at the door, and a Greek boy handed us a message in Greek. It said, “ZA: Goods safe. Spies watch you. From Kart. Have house in town. Meeting tonight”. The lad explained that he was to take us wherever we wish but there should be no torches. Toxoanassa, Si'aspiqo and I stayed to guard our goods, while Mago and Amphius accompanied the young lad.
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