Gilgamesh and the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash - Dramatis Personae

Previous installment here

In which we list the player characters who chose to go on the adventure.  This comprised several high level player characters and some various cohorts and followers, whom it was felt would benefit from the experience of high adventure on another world.  Also, some random hangers-on who literally just happened to be around in the dining hall at Camp Ragfried when the expedition was being discussed and came because they were bored.  

Little did they guess of the troubles that lay ahead for them...in the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash.

The full background detail of these adventurers is omitted here, but may be expanded on at a future time.

• Thorbjorn Hrolfsson
• Falkvar Falkvarson
• Captain Bergthor
• ...and sundry other members of Throbjorn's retinue, who did not in the end go as far as entering the Golden Palace
• Cerys Landry
• Echo Dawndreamer
• Pumpkin Pepperweb
• Tovynn Panafan
• Beamish Red
• Boris Kratofsky
• Jed "The Club" Butler
• Myra Hinsson
• Tsai Ying
• Dagani (A Planar Bound being summoned by Cerys Landry)
• Jessica Del Rio
• Quaenas Lorlann
• Baurig "The Free"
• Kaolin Rhinkainen

Additional people who joined the party in Gilgamesh' world

• Bey Jibran Barakas - commander of a contingent of Janni mamelukes whose task was to keep watch over the Golden Palace
• Faris Asghar Nazeri - adjutant to Jibran Barakas
• Sardar Patharmes  - Zakya Rakshasa who surrendered to Cerys who spared his life in exchange for an oath of 999 days' service

Also Appearing:

• Sunaeco Landwalker - aquatic elf who was the cause of all this trouble (though really, a convenient pawn in a scheme planned well before he got himself entangled in Janni politics)
• Rashad Al-Sulimon - Vizier to Utha Alzmed the Amir of the Hubul tribe of Janni; he was on hand at the entrance to the Golden Palace, but (being no fool!) did not accompany the party within, merely providing some investigative magics and background information.

Gilgamesh and the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash - Thorbjorn's Pre-Adventure Library Research

The adventure Introduction may be read here

 Library Research on Gilgamesh

Two centuries ago, Keoland under the reign of Tavish II was embroiled in a brutal war to retain control of Ket, against an insurrection which had the backing of a combined Bakluni force from Tusmit, Ekbir and Zeif. Tavish II was not a kind or merciful King and ordered purges against the civilian populace, of areas under Keoish control that were suspected of harbouring partisans. Many religious leaders were seized and imprisoned.

A group of ostensibly Bakluni pilgrims at the time protested their innocence and claimed to not be Bakluni at all but travelers from another world who were in search of the rightful heir to the throne of Uruk, whose father had died and whose title had been seized by a usurper. This fanciful tale caught the ear of a prominent court wizard of the time, Nolarus Akyn, when paying a visit to Ket to appraise the war effort, and he decided to pay them a visit. To cut a long story short, after much careful questioning, examination, and magical assessment of their claims he became convinced of the truth of their words. The name of the absentee heir that they sought was one Gilgamesh son of Lugalbanda of the great city of Uruk (alleged to himself be a demigod who had ruled the city for twelve centuries before divinely ascending leaving the throne open to the usurper in his son’s absence).

Nolarus agreed to plead their case to his King and obtain their release, but he wanted something in return. A priestess among them called Beltis – who primarily served a goddess of love and war (a peculiar combination indeed, the author notes!) called Ishtar, though she paid respects to many other divinities of her world – would be required to remain as a hostage and serve the Keoish war effort, working closely with Nolarus and assisting him in his research. Geases would be laid upon her and marks of bondage to prevent her magical abscondment. Her kinsmen would be released and granted return of their possessions, and passage to a destination of their choosing. Beltis would be released at a later date after Keoland’s victory in the war was accomplished.

Beltis urged her companions to accept Nolarus’ offer. The dungeons of Tavish II were not a place to spend overlong in if it could be helped.

However, the war did not end swiftly, rumbling on for another fourteen years until Tavish II’s death in CY395. The succession was complicated by the refusal of the first candidate that was offered the position, to accept. The Duke of Gradsul, Luschan Sellark IV became Regent while the great houses squabbled over who to accept the poisoned chalice of the Lion Throne, and he negotiated a truce and withdrawal of Keoish forces from Ket.

By this time, however, Beltis had struck up a relationship with, and married, Nolarus. And such were her powers of persuasion that she had converted him to her faith. She had also managed to acquire some other converts, and with Nolarus’ permission, she sent home for missionary aid to spread the worship of her deities to this new world.

Later works will refer to the expansion of this cult within the Flanaess but omit the details of the original account in the 200 year old transcript of Nolarus’ original encounter, and do not mention Gilgamesh; describing them simply as missionaries of an obscure Bakluni faith with a relatively small but dedicated following.

Gilgamesh and the Golden Palace of Za-Hadrash - Introduction - Part Ten

   Previous installments:

• Introduction - Part One
• Introduction - Part Two
• Introduction - Part Three
• Introduction - Part Four
• Introduction - Part Five
• Introduction - Part Six
• Introduction - Part Seven
• Introduction - Part Eight
• Introduction - Part Nine

Introducing another major campaign player character, Thorbjorn Hrolfsson.

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Meanwhile, Thorbjorn Hrolfsson was at the Longhall in Gradsul, having just spent the day organizing a project to seat a mystical transporter pad, based on magics once employed by the Cult of the Black Flame and uncovered by Cerys Landry at their old stronghold of Baltron's Beacon in the Hool Marshes.  This enchanted stone dais would enable his followers to travel swiftly between his strongholds in Gradsul and Sasserine. Many followers had volunteered small donations of their life force towards the required enchantments. Soon, he would be able to move large numbers of the faithful frictionlessly between the two cities. 

He was also enjoying the thrill of romance with the lovely Arnora Gellveig, who seemed quite the perfect match. By now he and Falkvar had been courting their ladies together for over a month, since the completion of the Kassen Dam and the unfortunate events that occurred immediately afterwards that claimed the lives of half a dozen villagers there.

He wondered how Ingolfr was doing with his mission to assist the King’s nephew young Count Tarikos Skotti, and Cerys’ Uncle Torvus. He supposed that he might have made landfall in Krytos by now.

One of Thorbjorn’s aides approached his lord.

“Your Grace…there is someone to see you. She is just outside. It is the semblance of Cerys that dwells in Gradsul, her…sim-u-la-crum I think you once called her. She would speak with you about urgent matters.”

She was ushered before him. She was but a pale imitation of the original, but Thorbjorn knew that the simulacrum was permanently telepathically linked to her mistress.

“Hello Thorbs. I hear through my sources you have a bit of a romance going on. When’s the wedding?"

"Whenever my advisors have decided to organise it for me, I suppose."

"Well anyway...some news that may concern you.  I have had some most unusual visitors drop in on me. I am at Camp Ragfried right now with them. People from another Prime Material world. Their leader is a very charming fellow, of, well you might say, epic proportions. It looks like Sunaeco might have gotten himself into a spot of bother, and he may need our help…”

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...and from this point, the adventure commences.