11. Bad to the Badr

"All take heed and flee, or join the ruler of the desert Khalitherius, and his right-hand priest Badr-Al Mosak!" cried the sunburned elf. As our prisoner he would later tell us this Badr is who has the princess. Thankfully, the Sheik lives - as does his son Hasahn and Alecia Saltdaughter with 2 Dupari Lancers. But they will not stay. They see an insurmountable threat and prepare to head south, leaving the invasion, princess, and stars to us. Kind enough to repair our vessel we bid them farewell, though the truth of Grim's justice executed upon Korus means he is no longer welcome here.
 
A few days sailing into the desert we spy a moving oasis on the back of a tortoise, and learn to our delight from its dwarven captain and escaped-slave passengers that Jamis may be alive. And yet dreams plague our journey. Each of us in isolation at first, but we come to find all of us have seen her - the large, impossibly beautiful, winged elf. She speaks to us, comforts us, gives us hope. Uluru is the true goddess of the desert, and we are nourished by her power.
 
From an amphitheater filled with dead and a spotless blue statue of a pharaoh two of the largest birds I've ever seen take flight toward us. Through clever use of illusions and a thunderstorm we drive them off and land. The only way in is down. Avoiding a clever device that severs descending ropes we find four passages with trapped statues. Cramus faced down the flames but with no obvious way in we nearly lost hope until Fy discovered one of the statues is not trapped, but a secret door. Behind we find a statue of our patron goddess, and the remains of Happy Hogan's partner trapped here for years. There are ghosts in this place, and yet they do not harm us. They seem torn between commands to exterminate us, and directives from Uluru to withhold and even assist us. A few potions will help us on our journey. "Go down to come up" they say.
 
Through a series of remarkably similar rooms with portentous obelisks and glass cases of small, gargoyle-like statues we nearly lose our way until at last we discover her altar - Uluru pervades this place. The inscriptions speak of sacrifice - something we hold dear. The magic we carry pulses, but who will part with the hard-won tools of their trade? Grim presents his glaive, ready to do the unthinkable when Thallan cries "NOOO!" and thrusts his magic dagger onto the altar...