Episode 56: Onward to Al-Khazam

After exploring and clearing out Doniathon's old lair, the party welcome Malavarak the Mercurial with the promised half share of Doniathon's horde. The party left with a new influx of magical items, 74,000 gold pieces, precious gems, and Malavarak's Mercurial Compass which granted our heroes the ability to navigate the underdark with greater ease and certainty. 

After bidding farewall to Malavarak, the party continued westward from the fiery domain of Uthvlog towards the Al-Khazahm mining operation. Upon arrival, they discovered a near-army of automatons and arcane machinery mining in the underdark. Soon, they were greeted by Automaton 2378 who asked their business in the Underdark. After they explained (in part), they were granted their request for aid in journeying to Al-Khazam and were directed to the teleportation area for transport. There, they met Tim-- a teleportation apprentice who was sent to man this tower on contract from the Mage's Guild. He recommended Mirage Hotel as a great spot to check-in should they be staying and The Oasis should they want to unwind for a bit. 

Boom! In a flash a magic, the party was teleported to unwards towards Al-Khazahm-- although "launched" would be a better word. As the party flew through the air, passing through obstacles and debris almost ethereally, they beheld Al-Khazam in its Calamity state. The great desert city floating a mile above ground, wrapped in a sphere of protective stand storm set on the backdrop of a cloudy, blood-red sky. They phased through the sandstorm and materialized in a busy market district. 

Although probably mid-day, the great city, overcast in red skies, clouds, and a perpetual sandstorm, appears to be in a perpetual night. However, this hasn't dimmed the energy within the city which, by some means, appears to have been mostly untouched by the petrifying curse of the Calamity. The party's senses are immediately overwhelmed with the bustling city, the smells of exotic spices, the dense sea of people coming and going, and the show of colors as the city stalls and building are drapped in rich fabrics and signs are illuminated by arcanotech signs that glow and move prestidigiously.  

Our heroes began to explore the city. Bjorn went to check-in at Mirage agreeing to meet the others at The Oasis. Bjorn met Maize Il-Norteth, the owner of Mirage who rented six rooms to the party and helped Bjorn get settled in. Bjorn would later rent a camel-drawn carriage and its driver, Ravi. 

Sankara, generously, bought some mushroom teas for the party... After partaking, the party explored the city individually with plans to converge at The Oasis.

Sankara met a shop keeper and made her day by buying a simple instrument that recreated the hooting sound of a owl. Walking further into the city, he found a small outcropping of plants and cacti and a drunk gentlement asleep in the cacti-- frustrated at being liberated from the spines since he "liked the feeling". After communing for a bit, Sankara found his way into a back alley where he met a new feline "friend", Selene, a prowling black cat frustrated by all of these pions in her hunt grounds putting up these posters with blue handprints on them. Sankara later found the Oasis and assumed the form of a cat before entering the club.