Khemia Occulta III: Desert Hospitality

As La Compagnia arrived at the Satra camp at the first oasis, Elissa clambered off her camel and began heaving up blood, bile and sputum. Talal asked the Satra tribesmen for help and a large, veiled woman came forward. She helped Elissa back toward the women’s area of the encampment. Theophilus offered to help, both out of care for one of his flock, and also out of a desire to learn more about the Sutra’s healing arts, but the woman made it clear that where they were going, he should not follow.

Talal suggested that they could occupy their time porting and setting up his wares in the local market, which served as a resupply for the caravans that passed that way, and an emporium of the eclectic items that had been traded there. Though Asbjørn was unenthusiastic about being treated like a porter, the idea that there might be more thieves to murder in a marketplace brought him around to the idea. Alex was eager to learn the cadence of the tribesmen’s trading.

While they busied themselves with setting up Talal’s wares, Theo began searching through the curios in the market looking for healing herbs, bandages or other items which might help in their travels. He found a healer’s bag, and navigated a complex, mostly non-verbal process and eventually trades three of his finest hand-made tapirs for the bag and a length of quality cord.

As Theo finished his business with the merchant, some of attendants of the local headman came to tell Talal that the Sheikh had heard of Elissa’s injuries and asked that they join him for mid-day meal. Talal made it clear that this was not a request they should decline. They were brought before the Sheikh, Hamed ibn Awad ibn Isma as-Satra, a man with the weathered features of one who had traveled long in the harsh conditions of the Senu Desert and fought many fierce battles. The roughness of his features did not extend to his eyes which were clear, intelligent and hungry.

Sheikh Hamed had them sit and bade them drink bowls of water. The intensity with which he watched them to ensure that they had drank made Alex nervous after the violation of hospitality at Domus Prothemopolous, but the water was cool and refreshing. The next course was a red berry juice that all enjoyed greatly, but as they were drinking they heard the bellowing of a great beast’s throat being slit and the next course was raw, but still-warm camel meat. The barbarians were practically giddy at the presentation. Theo, on the other hand, was in a bind as the importance of hospitality given and graciously received was clear, but his his goddess forbade the eating of slaughtered animal. The Sheikh encouraged Theo to set aside the prohibition and accept that al-Tariq superseded the demands of individual deities. Theo navigated the theological discussion with firmness, care and respect and Sheikh Hamed allowed him to decline graciously and without offense. He asked their reasons for traveling and suggested the artifacts of the Third Age were best left in the Third Age. He told them that of a group of Ouranic knights at the Adza Oasis who worshiped the fire, the sun and the sunset. Theo was caught off-guard by the reference, but realized he was speaking of a trinitarian sect that focused their devotion on Eion , Edius and Aelos . Hamed warned them that they also seemed intent on the powers of the past for use in their war against Xidohros.

Their hosts did ask that in return for their hospitality, the party give them tales of their adventures. Alex balked at Theo’s decision to tell of their encounter with the Goblin pimp, Zaz, when they had soon after thwarted the plans of a mad god after defeating his Goblin-flesh golem and self-reassembling skeleton champions, but Theo’s retelling mixed both humor and tension so deftly that the assembled diners were enraptured.

As the meal ended, the veiled healer came to report that Elissa would survive but needed time to rest and recuperate. Talal offered to finish the journey without them, but Alex thought it best to give her ample time to recover and offered to leave provisions for her and coin to support her care. The healer declined the coin and the Shiekh explained it was not their way. Alex asked if there were items that would improve the well-being of the camp that the party could look out for on their journey, applying an old Oameni tradition of bringing a hearth-gift for one’s hosts and the Sheik mentioned that weapons were always welcome. The party showed gratitude to the Satra for their hospitality and for caring for Elissa with an abundance of weapons taken from doghead raiders. Alex told Elissa that she should rest and when recovered train in the fighting style of the al-Satra, but if the party died or failed to return, she was free of their bond. Kegho, overwhelmed with uncharacteristic emotion made jokes about his sexual performance with her sister. She received the kind but awkward words in the spirit they were given.

On the 9th of Ka'aisius, the caravan reached the Omsala Oasis at the base of the Nekhsati Mountains. Talal paid the party and packed their camel and extra provisions away at the caravanserai for them. They parted ways on good terms, and the party trekked up to the Djeti ruins. The entry was a narrow hallway with alcoves evenly spaced along the wall. Each alcove had a simple wooden coffin in it. Alex itched to see what had been buried in such ancient coffins, but felt that it’d be wise to check them on the way out to lessen what they were carrying underground, and also to make a hasty retreat if necessary. The first two had entwined snake motiffs, the third had dancing snakes and the fourth, art depicting a human sacrifice. Theo was horrified at this and poured holy water on the coffin, sensing he’d cleansed some evil. Alex and Asbjørn made it to a large stone door at the end of the hallway with life-size Djeti carved into it and a heavy stone crossbar. Alex began to run his nimble fingers over various surfaces and edges searching for movements or gaps that might indicate a trap. He found that the brackets upon which the crossbar was set had wiggle to them and knew that they must be set to activate when the weight was removed. He had everyone move back lest he get Kegho shot again and carefully slipped a shim from his lock-picking kit in beside the brackets and clipped each of the springs

While Alex was holding his breath and hoping not to get everyone killed, Teleptyon and Kegho became increasingly curious about the contents of the coffins. When opened they had clay Djeti in full ceremonial garb. Teleptyon scried for magical artifacts but the only one revealed to to his thamauturgical senses was behind him, in the coffin depicting human sacrifice. He and Kegho moved over to the coffin in question and removed the lid, the clay Djeti wore something akin to wizard’s robes and a silver ring. The ring called to Teleptyon and against his better judgment he tried to slip it gently from the Djeti’s ceramic grasp. “In for a cypron, in for a duxon” he thought and wrenched the ring and the finger off. The teracotta Djeti crumbled to dust and a cloud of green smoke filled the room. Theo, rushing to their aid from nearby, bemoaned not having picked up the 10-foot pole at the market.